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The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different N applications with different planting dates on yield, leaf nutrients and some quality parameters of head lettuce (Lactuva sativa L. var. capitata cv. Bombola) grown in substrate-culture. The experiment was conducted in an unheated plastic polyethylene (PE) covered greenhouses of the Ege University Bayındır Vocational Training School in Turkey during the winter-early spring of 2016-2017. The trial was established in a randomized block design (RBD) with four replications. In this study, the development and yields ​​of iceberg seedlings, grown at four different planting dates (8th and 23th of February; 9th and 23th of March), were determined under three different nitrogen applications (75, 150, and 250 mg N L−1). The results showed that the studied traits were affected by the treatments, so that the highest yield (334 g head−1), number of leaves (39), DW (4.56%), and Vit.C (13.45%) was obtained on 23th of Feb. (second planting date). According of Nitrogen applications, highest yield (399 g/head), number of leaves (40), DW (5.13%) was found in 150 mg L−1 N application. Overall results indicated that the most suitable cultivation period for iceberg was February, which was the first (8th Feb.) planting date in this current study. Second planting date of experiment (23rd Feb.) was also acceptable for the suitable cultivation. It was also concluded that 75–150 mg N L−1 applications could be recommended for the nutrition of iceberg in soilless culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth promotion using beneficial bacteria is an eco-friendly approach to meet the worldwide need for raising crop yields. This research was done in a greenhouse during 2017 and 2018 seasons to investigate the effect of bacterial biofertilization using three strains, AP-28 of Pseudomonas koreensis, AP-29 of Ralstonia pickettii, and AP-51 of Bacillus cereus on kale plants. Seeds of kale plants were soaked in bacterial solutions for three hours and compared with untreated seeds. Our results exhibited that the highest significant differences in vegetative growth, including plant length (16.76 and 15 cm), leaf number (14.33 and 14.00), and leaf area (100.52 and 99.73 cm2) were obtained from AP-51 treatment compared with control (11.33 and 10.67 cm), (10 and 11.67) and (100.52 and 99.73 cm2) in both seasons, respectively. In both seasons, seed treatment with AP-51 produced the highest significant ascorbic acid (1.373 and 1.309 mg/g) compared with control (6.82 and 8.23 mg/100g, respectively). The highest phenolic contents in both seasons were produced by AP-51 (1.83 and 2.10 mg/g) compared to untreated plants (1.31 and 1.46 mg/g, respectively). AP-51 recorded the highest yield (95.81 and 94.75 g/plant) compared with control (72.92 and 82.76 g/plant) in both seasons, respectively. Macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg), as well as microelements (Fe, Cu, and Zn), were examined. The treatment with plant growth-promoting bacteria has been recognized as an environmentally sustainable approach to reduce the inputs of chemical fertilizers and to increase crop productivity, phytochemical composition, and mineral contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]