Abstract
A novel delivery method for the application of bio-based biostimulants as seed coatings was developed using different sources of liquid and powder forms of vermicompost and soy flour. Micronized vermicompost (MVC) and soy flour (SF) were mixed in different combinations as dry seed coating blends and applied using rotary pan seed coating equipment. The physical properties of coated seeds were measured, and as binder concentration increased, coating strength increased. The rates and percentages of germination of the newly developed coating formulations of SF+MVC did not decrease the germination parameters and were not significantly different than the control. However, the SF, SF with concentrated vermicompost extract, and SF + MVC from dairy manure increased the seedling vigor index by 24, 30, and 39 percent, respectively, compared to the control. Plant biometric parameters and nitrogen uptake per plant were also significantly higher for SF and SF+MVC coated seeds than the control, in a greenhouse environment. This is the first seed coating study to show an enhancement of plant growth with vermicompost, and vermicompost in combination with a plant-based protein that serves as a dry seed coating binder and biostimulant, respectively. Seed coatings developed in this study can serve as a model for development of the delivery systems of seeds for the application of bio-based biostimulants to enhance early plant growth.
Highlights
Biostimulants, broadly defined, are a diverse range of materials which, when applied to plants, seeds, and growing substrates in small quantities, have the capacity to enhance physiological processes in plants that provide benefits to growth and development, or can reduce plant stress [1]
Three micronized vermicompost products (MVC1 and 2, Worm Power, Avon, NY, USA and MVC3 Terra Vesco, Sonoma Valley Worm Farm, Sonoma, CA, USA) and a concentrated vermicompost extract (CVE) were evaluated as biostimulant materials, along with defatted soy flour 7B (SF), a plant-derived protein provided by Archer Daniels Midland Co., Decatur, IL (Table 1)
The seedling vigor index (SVI) for both formulas of 30:70 SF+diatomaceous earth (DE) and SF+MVC2 was higher than the other treatments and non-treated control
Summary
Biostimulants, broadly defined, are a diverse range of materials which, when applied to plants, seeds, and growing substrates in small quantities, have the capacity to enhance physiological processes in plants that provide benefits to growth and development, or can reduce plant stress [1]. Investigations on the use of biostimulants have been gaining interest worldwide, since they have the potential to minimize the negative environmental impacts associated with applications of agrochemical pesticides and fertilizers [2]. The application of biostimulants to seeds has the potential to promote plant growth at an early stage, while using low doses [5]. Previous investigations have demonstrated that seed treatments with growth regulators, micro and macronutrients, amino acids, and beneficial microbes, or other biostimulants, can enhance plant growth at the time of sowing [5,6,7,8,9]
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