Conclusions
Recent scientific investigations have focused on improving sustainable
farming practices that stabilise yield under optimal and suboptimal
conditions and comply with changing legislation regarding the
application of low-input agrochemicals. Microbial-based biostimulants
(AMF and/or Trichoderma ) may sustainably enhance crop
productivity. Our greenhouse experiment on pepper confirmed that
inoculation with a combination of AMF and Trichoderma increased
fruit yield by 23.7% relative to that of the untreated control. A
metabolomics analysis revealed that the biostimulant treatment
reprogrammed the plant metabolome. Hence, several biochemical processes
underly the observed increase in fruit yield. Here, we disclosed that
the biostimulant modulated the phytohormone profile and induced
secondary metabolism. Specifically, the microbial-based biostimulant
upregulated compounds such as carotenoids, saponins, and phenolics that
participate in plant nutrition, defence and stress response. Thus, the
results of the present study confirm that biostimulant amendments favour
stable increases in fruit yield and lead the way towards future
investigations into their effects on plants under challenging conditions
such as abiotic and biotic stress, environmental perturbations, and
physicochemical imbalances.