Different types of organic pop-up fertilizers in carrot cultivation: Effects on the concentrations of polyacetylenes and sugars

The effects on the concentration of falcarinol-type of polyacetylenes and sugars at harvest and after storage of carrots after application of different types (powder, digestate, two micro-granular) of organic pop-up fertilizer, where the fertilizer was placed in small amounts together with the seeds, were studied. Both groups of investigated compounds reflect important sensory attributes of the carrots, while polyacetylenes are considered as potentially health-promoting compounds. Results showed that the type of pop-up organic fertilizer as well as the dose can affect the concentrations of polyacetylenes and sugars. The dose of nitrogen applied did not seem to alone affect the concentration of polyacetylenes in carrots, while low amounts of applied phosphorus could be related to higher amounts of falcarindiol. The liquid digestate resulted in the highest concentrations of polyacetylenes in two of the treatments, even though the applied doses of digestate contained among the lowest amounts of nutrients. Storage resulted in both increases and decreases of total polyacetylenes, falcarindiol and falcarinol, while falcarindiol-3-acetate generally increased during storage. The sugars showed less variation due to the type or dose of fertilizer applied, as compared with the polyacetylenes.