La biofortificación foliar con hierro mejora la calidad nutracéutica la capacidad antioxidante en lechuga

Iron (Fe) is an essential trace element for human health and its def iciency affects 1.2 billion people in the world. Agronomic biofortif ication can mitigate this def iciency as its application in crops improves the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and promotes their bioaccumulation. Our research aims to evaluate the effect of the foliar application of Fe (FeSO4) on the yield, biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and accumulation in lettuce. For this, f ive treatments were applied by foliar route: 0, 10, 20, 30 and 35 μM L-1. At harvest, the nutraceutical quality and the accumulation of Fe in leaves were quantif ied, as well as the productivity of the lettuce plant. Biofortif ication with Fe positively modif ied the biosynthesis of phytochemical compounds and their concentration in lettuce leaves, without affecting the yield. Fe foliar spraying is an alternative to increase the biosynthesis of phytochemical compounds and increase the concentration of this element in lettuce.