Summary
Biostimulants boost plant growth, productivity, and nutrient retention, and can be produced from agri-food waste via microbial fermentation. In this study, undersized and unsold kiwifruits were fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum to produce a fermented kiwifruit-based biostimulant (FKB). FKB was applied to soilless tomato plants (cv. Solarino) at two concentrations (50 and 100 mL L−1) at the root level, every two weeks throughout the crop cycle. Fruits were analyzed for technological and chemical parameters, including color, texture, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, sugar/acid ratio, pH, electrical conductivity, total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, and lycopene concentration. Additionally, metataxonomic analysis characterized the substrate microbial community a
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