Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of drought stress in forage production systems, posing a serious threat to global food security and livelihoods. This study, conducted at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, to investigate the effects of trichoderma (Tricho Immun) and its combination with foliar fertilizer containing calcium, silicon and zinc (Ino green) on fresh herbage yield, protein content and protein yield of alfalfa under drought stress. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three treatments: control (T0), Tricho Immun combined with foliar fertilizer containing calcium, silicon and zinc (T1), and Tricho Immun alone (T2), each replicated three times. Data collected were subjected to analyses of variance using Genstat, where significantly different means were separated at a probability of 5% using the least significant difference. The results show that the biostimulant with or without nutrient management strategies significantly improved fresh herbage yield, protein content and protein yield of alfalfa compared to the control under moderate drought stress conditions. The combined application of Tricho Immun and foliar fertilizer containing calcium, silicon and zinc (T1) produced the highest fresh herbage of 17415 kg ha-1 and protein yield of 3883 kg ha-1, followed by Tricho Immun (T2) alone with fresh herbage yield of 16135 kg ha-1 and protein yield of 3661 kg ha-1. Notably, T1 increased fresh herbage and protein yields by 22.5% and 33.4%, respectively, while T2 boosted these traits by 13.5% and 25.8% over the control. Moreover, T2 elevated protein concentration by 10.6%, followed by T1 with 8.7% over the control. These improvements may be associated with improved plant physiological responses under drought stress conditions. Overall, our findings suggest that integrating Trichoderma spp. with foliar fertilizer containing calcium, silicon and zinc can be an effective strategy to improve forage productivity and quality of alfalfa under moderate drought stress.

Medicago sativa, biological fungi, foliar fertilization, protein content, sustainable forage production, water deficit

agronomy

Presentation: poster