Use of different waste waters from the leachate of the mushroom production process as foliar fertilizers: Effects on grape amino acids concentration

The production of edible mushrooms presents a serious problem for the environment, since about 5 kg of waste are produced for each kilogram of mushroom. These waste waters have nitrogenous matter. Thus, the aim was to investigate the effect of foliar applications of waste water from the mushroom production process on must amino acid composition during two seasons compared to other nitrogen sources. The treatments were applied to the vineyard at veraison and one week later at a total dose of 0.9 kg N/ha. Amino acids were analysed by HPLC. Results showed that treated mushroom water (Tmw) and mushroom water (Mw) improved the amino acid concentration in both seasons differentially. Tmw applied to the grapevines increased total amino acids concentration from 1479.58 to 1735.90 mg/L compared to untreated grapevines over the second study season. The effectiveness of the applications depends on grapevines nitrogen needs. Under moderate nitrogen conditions, Tmw and Mw applications seem to be more effective than urea and phenylalanine treatments. These results are important in relation to the sustainable management of the agri-food sector.