Juan A Fernandez

• Full professor
• Professor (Full) at Technical University of Cartagena

Background Potato is a globally significant crop, but its intensive cultivation depends heavily on mineral fertilizers, leading to soil degradation, water pollution, increased production costs, and environmental harm. Microbial inoculants, composed of beneficial bacteria and fungi, provide a sustainable alternative enhancing nutrient availability,...

Current horticultural practices typically require high demands of fertilizers, leading to significant environmental impacts and increased production costs. Alternatives based on microbial inoculants have garnered considerable interest owing to their potential to enhance soil quality whilst reducing external inputs and costs, all without compromisin...

Cascade cropping systems (CCS) utilize leachate from a primary crop to grow secondary crops and enhance the efficient use of water and fertilizers in areas with scarce water resources. A preliminary study investigated the effect of melatonin in a cascade cropping system to potentially improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. This study aimed to...

Nowadays, sustainable and resilient cultivation techniques have significantly increased in vegetable cultivation. Thus, there is a growing demand for high-quality certified planting materials suitable for these new cultivation methods. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of recent sustainable practices in vegetable see...

BACKGROUND Previous research has established that using high‐quality planting material during the early phase of vegetable production significantly impacts success and efficiency, leading to improved crop performance, faster time to harvest and better profitability. In the present study, we conducted a global analysis of vegetable seedlings and tra...

High rates of fertilizer applications potentially have significant environmental consequences, such as soil and water contamination and biodiversity loss. This study aimed to compare the use of biofertilizers and inorganic fertilizers in a broccoli crop to determine their impact on soil microorganism abundance, microbial community structure, functi...

The environmental impact of food products is significantly affected by their packaging. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of PLA (polylactic acid) film, as an alternative to petroleum-based bags, on the shelf-life of fresh-cut wild rocket and sea fennel grown in a cascade cropping system (CCS). To this end, wild rocket (main crop) wa...

Red LED light (R LED) is an efficient tool to improve seed germination and plant growth under controlled environments since it is more readily absorbed by photoreceptors’ phytochromes compared to other wavelengths of the spectrum. In this work, the effect of R LED on the radicle emergence and growth (Phase III of germination) of pepper seeds was ev...

Rocket salad is an important vegetable for the ready-to-eat sector, normally cultivated under greenhouse conditions, either in soil or soilless systems. In the latter case, as well as in the nurseries, its cultivation is usually carried out by using peat as a growing medium—a non-renewable substrate—for which it is urgent to find a replacement. Sim...

Organic farming is a holistic production management system that promotes and enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity, and consequently, it is an efficient and promising approach for sustainable agriculture within a circular and green economy. There has been a rise in the consumption of o...

BACKGROUND Soil fertility is a major concern during vegetable production. Conventional versus organic fertilization has been studied in order to conserve soil properties. While some reports point out an increase in food nutritional properties, the loss of crop yield under organic conditions continues to be a problem. Thus, an experiment with brocco...

https://www.mdpi.com/books/book/5525 This book is a reprint of the Special Issue Optimising Soilless Culture Systems and Alternative Growing Media to Current Used Materials that was published in Horticulturae

Pisum sativum L. ssp. arvense, is colloquially called tirabeque or mangetout because it is eaten whole; its pods are recognized as a delicatessen in cooking due to its crunch on the palate and high sweetness. Furthermore, this legume is an important source of protein and antioxidant compounds. Quality control in this species requires the analysis o...

In the last few decades, soilless culture systems (SCSs) have been gaining worldwide popularity, making them one of the fastest-growing sectors in agriculture. As a result, there is increased interest in the production of seedlings and transplants and the growth of pot ornamentals, small/soft fruit crops, greens, herbs, and medicinal and aromatic p...

The physiological changes and phytochemical pathways of processed watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) undergone during storage are not well known. The objective of this work was to evaluate the respiration rate and the inherent and external quality of watercress inoculated with B. subtilis and packaged as a fresh-cut product and stored at 4 °...

In this study, the effect of salinity (150 mM NaCl) compared to a control (9 mM NaCl) on growth, quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut sea fennel was evaluated. For that, sea fennel plants were cultivated in a hydroponic floating system and the sea fennel leaves were stored for 12 days at 5 °C. At harvest, leaves from plants grown in salinity had a l...

Composting is an advantageous and efficient process for recycling organic waste and producing organic fertilizers, and many kinds of microorganisms are involved in obtaining quality compost with suppressive activity against soil-borne pathogens. The aim of this work was to evaluate the main differences in the effects of three composting piles on th...

Soilless culture systems are currently one of the fastest-growing sectors in horticulture. The plant roots are confined into a specific rootzone and are exposed to environmental changes and cultivation factors. The recent scientific evidence regarding the effects of several environmental and cultivation factors on the morphology, architecture, and...

The present work aims to explore the potential to improve quality of purslane microgreens by combining water salinity and LED lighting during their cultivation. Purslane plants were grown in a growth chamber with light insulated compartments, under different lighting sources on a 16 h d⁻¹ photoperiod—fluorescent lamps (FL) and two LED treatments, i...

Nowadays, literature is still limited on the effects that LEDs may trigger during postharvest. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of continuous monochromatic Yellow or Green light on total and individual phenolic and glucosinolate content of 9-day broccoli sprouts stored up to 15 days at 5 °C as a ready-to-eat product. In addition, a...

Salt stress is one of the main limiting factors for plant growth and crop yield. Halophytes have been postulated as a new food source since they are able to grow under saline environments and have suitable minerals and bioactive compounds. See fennel Crithmum maritimum L. is a facultative halophyte moderately tolerant to salinity. This study was ca...

Mineral fertilization is considered to be useful for improving soil fertility and yields. However, its use is linked to global warming and soil and water pollution by its rapid mobilization. On the other hand, organic fertilization is recommended to maintain or improve soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks while contributing to climate chan...

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological and quality changes of fresh-cut red chard (Beta vulgaris) and rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) leaves illuminated during storage with monochromatic light emitting diode (LED) lamps, featuring different spectral component (red, green, yellow, white, blue and far-red) and same light in...

Temperature has an important impact on the sporophore development of mushrooms. In particular, in some warm area or during summer season, temperatures above 20 • C may emerge as a limiting factor in Hericium spp. cultivation. The aim of this research was to assess the ability some isolates of Hericium spp. (Hericium erinaceus, H. coralloides and H....

Spinach is rich in minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and bioactive compounds with health-beneficial effects; however, this plant also tends to accumulate oxalates and nitrates in their leaves. Apart from genotype, nutrition is the pre-harvest factor that mostly affects quality attributes at harvest. Particularly, the application of compost extract...

Appropriate fertigation management plays an important role in increasing crop quality and economizing water. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of two fertigation treatments, normal (T100) and 50% sustained deficit (T50), on the physico-chemical quality of legumes. The determinations were performed on the edible parts of peas,...

Alternative materials with added-value functions, such as phytopathogen suppression and biostimulant and/or biofertilising activity, have been proposed as peat substitutes in growing media. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of 23 agro-industrial composts as components of growing media for baby-leaf lettuce transplant production and th...

of both economic and environmental viability. Appli-plications on production costs, literature on optimal the number of hours per day correlates with the total-1-2 d-1-1 m-2 d-1-1-2 d-1-Lactuca sativa Ocimum basilicum-Eruca sativa Cichorium intybus mol m-2 s-1-plant species. In lettuce and chicory, the adoption of a-2 d-1-1 photoperiod resulted-2 d...

BACKGROUND The main objective of this study was to evaluate physiological and quality changes of minimally processed broccoli sprouts illuminated during postharvest storage under blue, red and far‐red LED lighting as compared to darkness or illumination with fluorescent light, as control treatments. RESULTS Morphological and microbiological change...

The floating system is a successful strategy for producing baby leaf vegetables. Moreover, compost from agricultural and agri-food industry wastes is an alternative to peat that can be used as a component of growing media in this cultivation system. In this study, we experimented with three composts containing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), leek...

Indoor plant cultivation systems are gaining increasing popularity because of their ability to meet the needs of producing food in unfavourable climatic contexts and in urban environments, allowing high yield, high quality, and great efficiency in the use of resources such as water and nutrients. While light is one of the most important environment...

The introduction of nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) into the soil is an advisable agricultural practice for the crop, since it enhances nutrient and water uptake and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The aim of this work was to study plant nutrition, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and crop yield and...

Seed is the dissemination unit of plants initiating an important stage in the life cycle of plants. Seed development, comprising two phases: embryogenesis and seed maturation, may define the quality of sown seed, especially under abiotic stress. In this review we have focused on the recent advances in the molecular mechanisms underlying these compl...

Compost tea is a liquid fraction extracted from composts, and it is of great interest in sustainable agriculture because it reduces the unsustainable use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. In this study, during two spinach field cycles, we evaluated the potential beneficial effect of the foliar application of a compost tea made from onio...

The aim of this work was to study whether the application of a directly brewed compost extract (added in the nutrient solution or by microsprinkler) could be used to improve the yield and quality of baby leaf red lettuce growing in a floating system, and to control the incidence of Pythium irregulare. Its effect on the quality of fresh-cut red lett...

The cultivation of legume crops has been proposed as a way of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because of their ability to fix atmospheric N and thus reduce the need for external N fertilizers. Moreover, the establishment of organic agriculture has been proposed as a sustainable strategy to enhance the delivery of ecosystem services, althoug...

The study of soil suppressiveness is of great interest in the field of sustainable agriculture. In the current study, eight soils located in the Region of Murcia (Spain) were sampled, evaluated and categorized according to their suppressiveness against Pythium irregulare in baby-leaf lettuce plants. We analyzed the chemical and biological propertie...

The use of legumes in multiple cropping may play an important role in nutrient cycling as it has an impact on organic matter dynamics and biological activity in the soil, although its effects depend on the specific plant species included in the multiple cropping. Organic management is in addition expected to decrease the negative impacts of convent...

LED lighting in indoor farming systems allows to modulate the spectrum to fit plant needs. Red (R) and blue (B) lights are often used, being highly active for photosynthesis. The effect of R and B spectral components on lettuce plant physiology and biochemistry and resource use efficiency were studied. Five red:blue (RB) ratios (0.5-1-2-3-4) suppli...

Faba beans have a short shelf life which is even reduced after fresh-cut processing mainly due to browning and dehydration. In that sense, the effects of a UV-C treatment (3 kJ m ⁻² ), compared with non-exposed beans (CTRL), were studied on the sensory and microbial quality, and bioactive and anti-nutritional content of fresh-cut faba beans (cv. Mu...

Notwithstanding that indoor farming is claimed to reduce the environmental pressures of food systems, electricity needs are elevated and mainly associated with lighting. To date, however, no studies have quantified the environmental and economic profile of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting in indoor farming systems. The goal of this study is to...

Urban gardens are spreading in many cities across Europe, with community gardening being a fundamental form of urban agriculture. While the literature reveals the essential role that community gardens can play in terms of learning and education, no studies have investigated the training needs for participants in community gardens to ensure their su...

Information on the effect of cowpea-based rotations in horticulture under arid and semiarid environments are scarce despite the potential for increasing soil quality and fertility. Cowpea is a suitable legume in rotated cropping systems due to its relative tolerance to drought. The main goal of this study was to assess the effect of two cowpea cult...

Bioactive phytoprostanes and phytofurans are synthesized in higher plants by non‐enzymatic oxidation of α‐linolenic acid (C18:3 n‐3), triggered by high concentrations of reactive oxygen species. In the current scenario of changing dietary patterns, additional information is needed on the concentrations of oxylipins in legumes and on the effect of s...

Phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) and phytofurans (PhytoFs) occur in higher plants as a result of the non-enzymatic oxidation of α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 n-3), triggered by increased levels of Reactive Oxygen Species in response to biotic and abiotic stress that can constitute relevant biomarkers of oxidative stress. Currently, in the scenario of growin...

Indoor plant cultivation can result in significantly improved resource use efficiency (surface, water, and nutrients) as compared to traditional growing systems, but illumination costs are still high. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are gaining attention for indoor cultivation because of their ability to provide light of different spectra. In the ligh...

Including legumes in rotation systems may be regarded as a sustainable way to improve soil quality and fertility for subsequent crops. Improvements in soil quality depend on inherent soil properties, climatic conditions, adopted management practices, type of fertilization (organic, chemical, legumes or biological). Hence, the aim of this study was...

Peat alternatives are being developed using materials such as agroindustry compost. The aim of this work was to study whether an agroindustrial compost could be used as substitute for peat in a floating system for cultivating baby leaf red lettuce. For this, two different experiments were carried out over two growing cycles (summer and autumn) in t...

There is increasing interest in healthy and ready-to-eat natural horticultural products. In this sense, fresh-cut and then microwaved cowpea can be considered a good option to stimulate legume consumption, since they are a source of proteins and bioactive compounds. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of fresh-cut cowpea prepared...

The present study evaluated the effect of different sanitizers (an edible coating (EC) based on sucrose fatty acid esters, and UV-C (3 kJ m-2), compared with a control consisting of a conventional NaOCl washing (CTRL)) on the quality changes of fresh-cut (FC) faba (Vicia faba L.) seeds stored for 10 d at 4 °C. Additionally, domestic cooking of samp...

Genotyping of accessions is a prerequisite for management and exploitation of natural genetic variation. In some cases, the costs of genotyping maybe an issue to obtain enough information. We have developed a simple protocol based on sample barcoding allowing simultaneous genotyping of plant material based on a minimum number of Next-Generation-Seq...

Protected cultivation has rapidly expanded in many regions all over the world, particularly in those with mild winter climatic conditions. In this context, the greenhouse industry is continually developing new strategies and technologies to solve specific cultivation limitations, to reduce any related environmental impact and to adjust to new marke...

Many diseases, including damping off, which is caused by fungi such as Pythium spp., can affect the production of small leafy vegetables (baby leaf) in floating systems. Agro-industry composts could be used as an alternative to peat, the traditional substrate in floating systems. More particularly, the use of composts with suppressive effects may h...

Faba beans are highly nutritious because of their high protein content: they are a good source of mineral nutrients, vitamins, and numerous bioactive compounds. Equally important is the contribution of faba bean in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems, as it is highly efficient in the symbiotic fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Th...

Four isolates of Hericium erinaceus cultivated in different growing media were investigated for their mycelial growth, yield, biological efficiency (BE), macro and micro element content, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. In the study, oak sawdust (OS) was used as a base substrate, and cottonseed hulls (CSH) and olive press cake (OPC)...

The aim of this work was to assess the influence of different levels of aeration of the nutrient solution on the initial quality and throughout the shelf life of baby leaf lettuce. Two cultivars of baby leaf lettuce, the red leaf 'Diveria' and the green batavia 'Ganeria', were grown in a floating system in an autumn cycle. Three levels of aeration...

European pulse production faces a continued loss of cultivated area along with decreasing or stagnant yields. Vicia faba is a traditional legume with high genetic diversity cultivated in a wide range of European climates. Therefore V. faba is promising to identify stable and high yielding genotypes for specific target environments. Mid-latitudes ar...

Background: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important source of protein supply for animal and human nutrition. The major storage globulins VICILIN and LEGUMIN (LEG) are synthesized from several genes including LEGA, LEGB, LEGJ and CVC (CONVICILIN). The current hypothesis is that the plant circadian core clock genes are conserved in a wide array o...

The aim of this work was to determine the variance components and genetic and environmental stability of 12 cowpea genotypes at three locations (South-east of Spain: Cartagena, South and North of Portugal: Elvas and Vila Real, respectively) in the Iberian Peninsula in two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). The genotype, the environment and the geno...

Background: Appropriate sanitation is a priority for extending the shelf life and promoting the consumption of immature pea seeds, as processing accelerates quality deterioration and microbial growth. Results: the combined effect of disinfection with acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) or sodium hypochlorite (SH) and packaging under a passive modifi...

Understanding the distribution of genetic variations and accession structures is an important factor for managing genetic resources, but also for using proper germplasm in association map analyses and breeding programs. The globe artichoke is the fourth most important horticultural crop in Europe. Here, we report the results of a molecular analysis...

PCA via Covariance matrix with data standardization of dominant data. (TIF)

Accession diversity measured with dominant (D) or co-dominant (CD) markers. Polymorphism (P), expected heterozygosity (He), observed heterozygosity (Ho), Fixation Index (F), Number of alleles with frequency higher than 5% (Na), Shannon's Information Index (I), and number of less common Alleles (< = 25%) (No). (DOCX)

Average value per accession for each markers used to genotype Cynara cardunculus individuals. Number of alleles (Na), Number of effective alleles (Ne), Shannon's Information Index (I), expected heterozygosity (He), Unbiased Expected Heterozygosity (UHe), and amplicons in the case of dominant markers. (DOCX)

List of the Cynara cardunculus germplasm ordered by typology and abbreviation name. (DOCX)

Markers used to genotype 72 Cynara cardunculus var. altilis individuals with their genetic diversity parameters. Number of bands or alleles in the case of SSR, frequency of the principal allele (MAF), Gene diversity and Expected Heterozygosity. (DOCX)

Optimal value of K determined by the magnitude of delta K (ΔK) as a function of K (mean ± SD over 20 replicates). (TIF)

ISSR primers and their annealing temperatures (T). (DOCX)

Markers used to genotype 484 Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus individuals with their genetic diversity parameters. Number of bands or alleles in the case of SSR, frequency of the principal allele (MAF), Gene diversity and Expected Heterozygosity. (DOCX)

Significant linkage disequilibrium (significance level = 0.0500) between loci indicated by +. (DOCX)

Background: Cowpea is traditionally cultivated in some regions of southern Europe for its dried seeds; however, there is a scarcity of information on the quality and dietary characteristics of fresh pods, which are occasionally used in folk diets. This paper aims at covering this gap in knowledge thereby contributing to the dissemination of fresh...

BACKGROUND Cowpea fresh pods are consumed as green vegetables in many countries in Southern Europe. Among cowpea cultivated material a relatively large number of landraces can be found, maintaining species genetic diversity. In order to assess the value of these landraces in breeding programs, characterization and estimation of diversity levels are...

Rootstock breeding for vegetable crops includes desirable traits such as compatibility with the scion, increased productivity and quality under stressful environments and improved use of soil, water and fertilizer resources. The effects of three commercial rootstocks (Atlante, Creonte and Terrano) on the agronomical and physiological responses of a...