chitosan oligosaccharide in promoting plant growth

1. Regulate plant growth

chitosan oligosaccharide  agriculture grade can be used as signal molecules to participate in the regulation of plant growth and development. The presence of chito oligosaccharides activates the hormone expression in plant seedlings, changes the activity of amylase, lipase and protease, speeds up the starch hydrolysis process of endosperm, and promotes seed germination and the growth of roots and buds. The results showed that 0.125% chitosan oligosaccharide was beneficial to improve the germination rate of sorghum seeds and promote the growth of seedlings, while 0.0625% chitosan oligosaccharide seed soaking treatment was more beneficial to promote the chlorophyll synthesis of sorghum leaves and improve the root activity. In addition to the increase of plant height, leaf area, root length and other growth indicators, the growth promoting effect of chitosan oligosaccharides on plants is also shown in the significant increase of chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration and other indicators of functional leaves.

2. Improve plant stress resistance

chitosan oligosacchairde can alleviate the damage to plants caused by adversity (such as pesticides, drought, cold, hot, etc.) by inducing plants to produce resistant substances, and play a role in regulating crop growth. Chitooligosaccharide can increase the content of soluble sugar and free proline in plants, enhance the activity of plant antioxidant enzymes, induce the synthesis of phytoalexin, reduce the permeability of cell membrane and the content of malondialdehyde, thereby improving the plant resistance to stress.

3. Alleviate the toxic effect of heavy metals on plants

Chitooligosaccharides can improve the resistance of plants to heavy metals and protect plants from heavy metals. It was found that low concentration (0.0625%~1.0000%) of chitooligosaccharide could alleviate the damage of Cd to Vicia faba root tip cells, 0.1250% of chitooligosaccharide could increase the mitotic index of Vicia faba root tip cells, inhibit the production of micronucleus and reduce chromosome aberration; It was also found that the rhizome length and dry weight of wheat seedlings under Cd stress decreased by 20% compared with the control group, while the addition of 1g/L chitooligosaccharide could increase the Cd stress of wheat (100 μ Mol/L).

4. Promote plant nutrient absorption

Chitooligosaccharide structure contains carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, which can combine with ammonium ion (NH4+) in nitrogen fertilizer to form a complex, thus inhibiting the transformation of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+) to nitrate nitrogen (NO3 -), reducing nitrogen loss and providing long-term nutrients to plants. At the same time, low dose chitosan oligosaccharide can also promote the absorption of N, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, B, Zn and other elements by plant roots.

The article is derived from Research Progress in the Application of Chitooligosaccharide in Agriculture