{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,8]],"date-time":"2026-04-08T03:54:22Z","timestamp":1775620462529,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760054400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The increasing interest in sustainable and cost-effective options for containerized plant cultivation has driven research into the use of agricultural by-products and waste as alternative growing media. Cactus pear (<jats:italic>Opuntia ficus-indica<\/jats:italic> (L.) Mill.) pruning residuals, abundant in Mediterranean regions, represent a potential renewable resource. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of cactus pear pruning residuals, enriched with calcium (Ca\u00b2\u207a), iron (Fe\u00b2\u207a and Fe\u00b3\u207a) ions, as a growing medium for basil (<jats:italic>Ocimum basilicum<\/jats:italic> L.) cultivation, with a focus on plant growth. From pots under greenhouse conditions, growth parameters (plant height, leaf area, number of leaves), chlorophyll content (SPAD), phosphorus availability in substrates (Olsen), and volatile compounds in leaves (HS-SPME coupled with GC-MS) were measured. Results suggest that incorporation of Ca- and Fe-enriched substrates significantly improved basil growth, with leading to better nutrient assimilation and higher growth metrics (plant height +23%; number of leaves +17%; leaf area +67%) compared to the untreated cactus pear substrate. Plants grown in Fe-enriched substrates exhibited increased plant height (+14%), leaf area (+48%), and number of leaves (+14%), along with improved phosphorus availability, compared to Ca<jats:sup>2+<\/jats:sup> enrichments. The addition of 5% Fe<jats:sup>3+<\/jats:sup> enriched cactus pear to the substrate resulted in increased plant height (+20%), number of leaves (+22%), and leaf area (+29%) compared to the control. Cactus pear pruning residuals, when enriched with Fe<jats:sup>3+<\/jats:sup>, show significant promise as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional growing media for basil cultivation, particularly in Mediterranean environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0334018","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T17:24:06Z","timestamp":1760117046000},"page":"e0334018","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Utilizing cactus pear pruning residuals as sustainable growing media for containerized basil (Ocimum basilicum L:) cultivation"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5465-9690","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nicol\u00f2","family":"Auteri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6873-3698","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Filippo","family":"Saiano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Riccardo","family":"Scalenghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessandra","family":"Carrubba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7685-5927","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mauro","family":"Sarno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0334018.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1071","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-018-03406-6","article-title":"The underappreciated potential of peatlands in global climate change mitigation strategies","volume":"9","author":"J Leifeld","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0334018.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2136\/vzj2014.09.0125","article-title":"Organic growing media: constituents and properties","volume":"14","author":"WR Carlile","year":"2015","journal-title":"Vadose Zone J"},{"key":"pone.0334018.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scienta.2016.09.030","article-title":"Achieving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems \u2013 a review","volume":"212","author":"GE Barrett","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sci Hortic"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0334018.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.21273\/HORTTECH.15.1.0052","article-title":"Production of high-quality composts for horticultural purposes: a mini-review","volume":"15","author":"M Raviv","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hort Technol"},{"issue":"1013","key":"pone.0334018.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.17660\/ActaHortic.2013.1013.2","article-title":"Strategies for developing sustainable substrates in nursery crop production","author":"TE Bilderback","year":"2013","journal-title":"Acta Hortic"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0334018.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4429","DOI":"10.3390\/su16114429","article-title":"Assessment of Pistachio Shell-Based Biochar Application in the Sustainable Amendment of Soil and Its Performance in Enhancing Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) 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