Soybean Response to Seed Coating with Chitosan + Alginate/PEG and/or Inoculation

Abstract

Inoculated or coated soybean seeds are often sown in agricultural practice. These treatments play a different role depending on the chemical composition of the preparation. The aim of the field experiment was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed coating (chitosan + alginate/PEG) and commercial inoculant (HiStick® Soy) applied alone or in combination to soybean seeds. Uncoated (control) seeds were sown for comparison. The research was carried out in 2018–2020 using the cultivar ‘Mavka’. The experiment was located in Makowisko, Podkarpackie Province, Poland. Coating composition was developed in a laboratory belonging to the Łukasiewicz Research Network—Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibers in Łódź, Poland. The main role of the coating is to protect soybean seeds from low temperatures. HiStick® Soy inoculant contains Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteria which increase nodulation on the roots. The conducted research demonstrated that sowing only coated seeds was not very effective, because the suitable number of nodules had not developed on soybean roots. The application of the inoculant alone positively affected the assessed traits compared to control, however, plant population was lower than expected. The highest seed yield was obtained after sowing coated seeds in combination with the inoculant (4.32 t·ha−1) and only inoculated seeds (4.23 t·ha−1) compared to control (3.64 t·ha−1). The test of the novel seed-coating agent showed that it had an good effect and efficacy, but only in combination with the inoculation procedure.

Seed Treatments with Microorganisms Can Have a Biostimulant Effect by Influencing Germination and Seedling Growth of Crops

“…The CMRP 4490 treatments resulted in differences in total root length and total root surface and strain genome exploration revealed the presence of genes linked to the regulation of biofilms, motility, and important properties for rhizospheric colonization and plant-growth-promoting ability [55]. Jarecki [56] demonstrated the effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium japonicum as a seed inoculant for increasing root nodulation of soybean. The same bacterium, either alone or in combination with a mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus clarum, Glomus mosseae, and Gigaspora margarita), improved root length and plant dry-weight as compared to untreated plants [57].…”

The Use of Carbohydrate Biopolymers in Plant Protection against Pathogenic Fungi

“…These polysaccharides can be combined with a wide range of substances, such as phytohormones, amino acids, fatty acids and microelements, and used in agriculture as organic fertilizers, delivery systems, seed treatments and edible coating films for vegetable and fruits. For example, alginates with chitosan and other substances were used in soybean seed coatings [ 77 , 78 ]. Alginate coatings have also been reported to be good oxygen barriers and to reduce the natural microflora counts [ 79 ].…”

Techno-Economic Analysis for the Coating of Seeds with Sodium Alginate Plasticized by Glycerol Using the Wurster Fluid-Bed Bottom Spray Process

“…Biopolymers fit exactly into that category mostly because of their mechanical properties [23,24] but also their intrinsic properties as antifungal, antiviral, or biostimulants [24]. The most important results have been achieved with sodium alginate [25], chitosan [26,27], and pectin [28].…”