Growth of Tea Nursery Plants as Influenced by Different Rates of Protein Hydrolysate Derived from Chicken Feathers

Abstract

The conversion of chicken feathers, generated annually worldwide on a large scale as a by-product of the poultry industry into value-added products, has economic and environmental benefits. Protein hydrolysate produced from feathers has attracted significant attention in agriculture as a potential plant growth stimulant. Therefore, a study was established with the aim to produce and characterize chicken feather protein hydrolysate (CFPH) and investigate the effects of this product on the early growth of nursery tea plants. Alkaline hydrolysis was used to produce CFPH with the yield of 165 mg amino acids per gram of feathers. Then, the produced CFPH was applied on nursery tea plants as a soil drench at different doses (0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g L−1) in 2-week intervals until the 10th application. Commercially available fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) was included as a treatment to compare the effects with CFPH. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design with three replications. CFPH and FPH significantly improved the shoot and root growth parameters. Plant height (+98%), leaf number (+61%), shoot dry biomass (+128%), root length (+94%), root surface area (+15%), and root dry biomass (+152%) were significantly increased by the application of CFPH (2 g L−1 dose) compared to control. Although the highest CFPH dosage (4 g L−1) showed a reduction in growth parameters, the values obtained were similar or higher than the untreated control plants. The chlorophyll content (a, b, and total) was enhanced by the CFPH dosage of 1 g L−1, whereas the highest photosynthetic rate was recorded in the CFPH 3 g L−1 treatment. The application of protein hydrolysates (PH) did not positively influence stomatal conductance and intercellular CO2 concentration. Leaf nitrogen, phosphorous, manganese, and copper were positively affected by the CFPH application. The effect of CFPH on growth parameters was more pronounced than FPH. Our findings reveal that CFPH produced by alkaline hydrolysis could be used as a growth booster in raising vigorous tea nursery plants, which are most suitable for field planting and subsequently higher yields.

Effects of Protein Hydrolysate Derived from Anchovy By-Product on Plant Growth of Primrose and Root System Architecture Analysis with Machine Learning

“…Xu and Mou [15] observed that drench application of FPH increased lettuce's dry weight, leaf number, and chlorophyll content. These results support the potential use of PH comprising short-chain peptides and certain amino acids, such as phenylalanine, that have been reported to increase the production of endogenous auxin by functioning as signaling molecules, showing favorable effects on roots and improved vegetative growth [46,57,58]. In addition, enhancement of chlorophyll content by applying animal-derived PH has been found in corn, soybean, tomato [59], petunia [60], and chrysanthemum [54].…”

Biostimulant Properties of Protein Hydrolysates: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

“…has also been reported [41,108]. PHs (plant-or animal-derived) have a positive effect on the photosynthetic performance of crops grown under favorable and/or unfavorable conditions including different N fertigation levels or salt stresses [43,97,109,110]. For instance, the application of alfalfa-derived PH resulted in chlorophyll production and upregulation of genes encoding components of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain (ferredoxin-2, the light-harvesting complex protein LHCA5) and Calvin cycle enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) in tomato plants [111].…”

Perspectives on Converting Keratin-Containing Wastes Into Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture

“…Peptides in the keratin hydrolysate may exhibit hormonal activities. These products can also play a role in stimulating plant growth through their indirect effect on nutrient update and usage (Raguraj et al, 2022 ). The amino acids in keratin hydrolysate will have an impact on the rhizospheric microbes by serving as a nitrogen source, which in turn will affect the action of the microorganism on the root of the plant (Moe, 2013 ).…”