Mechanism of nutrition activity of a microgranule fertilizer fortified with proteins

Abstract

Background: A microgranule fertilizer was designed for localized fertilization of soil with controlled release of nutrients. The microgranule matrix was fortified with proteins, which were obtained from food industry byproducts or waste, i.e., whey protein from milk serum, soy protein from soy isolate and egg white protein from chicken egg white powder. The mechanism of the protein decomposition and migration of micro and macromolecule compounds through two different model soil systems was investigated. The potential of the protein fortified fertilizer for localized fertilization of the potted maize seeds was evaluated. Results: The study revealed that proteins slowly diffused through soil with simultaneous degradation, which was accompanied with release of ammonia ions. The highest concentration of proteins and degradation products was found in a close vicinity of the microgranule. The microgranules were used as a local fertilizer for maize seeds in the pot experiments. The experiments confirmed statistically significant improvement in root density of maize plant compared to control group. Conclusions: Byproducts or waste of food industry, such as the milk serum and soy can be used as a source of proteins that degrade in soil without a pretreatment. The degradation is accompanied with formation of ammonium ions, which can be utilized by plants as a nitrogen source. The fertilizer microgranule should be placed in a close vicinity to the plant seed, since the maximum of the protein concentration and ammonia ions is reached at a very close distance from the microgranule.

Foliar Spray with Pepsin-and Papain-Whey Protein Hydrolysates Promotes the Productivity of Pea Plants Cultivated in Clay Loam Soil

“…Based on this fact, the results indicated that whey protein hydrolysates (after 8 h) had a considerable potential antioxidant activity where pepsin hydrolyzed protein showed the highest one. Similar results were obtained when using microgranules enriched with protein [38,39].…”

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

“…PH are produced from both plant and animal protein sources using partial hydrolysis [9], which consists of a mixture of peptides, oligopeptides, and amino acids. However, they may have carbohydrates, small quantities of mineral elements, phenols, and other compounds [10] that have shown promising influence on plant growth performances [11]. PH are used in broad areas, including medicine, nutrition, food, and agriculture, due to their nutritional and functional/bioactive properties [12].…”

Effectiveness of a Complex Fertilisation Technology Applied to Zea mays, Assessed Based on Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)

“…The resulting fertiliser had the following content: 136.81 P(g kg −1 ), 3.2 N (g kg −1 ), 29.96 K (g kg −1 ), 13.20 Mg (g kg −1 ), 347.81 Ca (g kg −1 ), 3.93 Na (g kg −1 ), 1 Fe (g kg −1 ), 0.8 Zn (mg kg −1 ), 3.2 Cu (mg kg −1 ), and 6.5 Mn (mg kg −1 ) [18]. Microgranule for precision application is distinguished by a well-proven mechanism enabling controlled release of ammonia nitrogen and amino acids during hydrolysis of protein additive [20].…”

“…This resulted from the use of microgranules for precision application into the soil at the time of maize seed planting. This fertiliser contains protein which, owing to the unique mineral base of the amendment, is dissolved in the soil environment; as a result, ammonia nitrogen and amino acids are released [20]. These components directly affect the nutritional status of plants in the initial stages of growth, which is reflected by the values of NDVI.…”