The exploitation of wild edible plants as alternative crops in the context of climate change
‘’Stamnagathi’’ (Cichorium spinosum L.) is a wild edible plant mainly found in Crete island as well as in many regions of the Mediterranean which possesses a high nutritional value and rich antioxidant activities. The limited cultivation practices required but also its wide adaptation capacity under various soil and climate conditions makes it a viable alternative crop in the context of the ongoing climate change. In the experimental field of the University of Thessaly in Velestino Greece, the effect of different fertilization regimes on C. spinosum plant growth. Seeds of the specieswere sown in seed trays and then transplanted at 2 L plastic pots filled with a mixture of peat:perlite (1:1; v/v). Morphological characters such as leaf number/plant, leaf weight/plant were evaluated, as well as the leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD index), the dry matter of leaves and leaf area indices (LAI, SLA) were measured. Significant statistical differences were observed regarding the number and weight of leaves/plant and the chlorophyll content of the leaves based on the different fertilization program. Moreover, according to the obtained results, there was no positive effect of fertilization on the rest of the examined parameters. The evaluation of wild edible plants and the compilation of the best cultivation practices is an essential condition as it will give us further knowledge about the integration of these species as complementary/alternative crops within a competitive agricultural sector aiming to sustainable agriculture under the severe effects of climate change.