Bioformulation of Silk-Based Coating to Preserve and Deliver Rhizobium tropici to Phaseolus vulgaris Under Saline Environments

Manal Mhada; Augustine T Zvinavashe; Zakaria Hazzoumi; Youssef Zeroual; Benedetto Marelli; Lamfeddal Kouisni

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.700273

Bioformulation of Silk-Based Coating to Preserve and Deliver Rhizobium tropici to Phaseolus vulgaris Under Saline Environments

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Aug 2:12:700273. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.700273. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Manal Mhada¹, Augustine T Zvinavashe², Zakaria Hazzoumi³, Youssef Zeroual⁴, Benedetto Marelli², Lamfeddal Kouisni⁵

Affiliations

¹ African Integrated Plant and Soil Research Group, AgroBioSciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco.
² Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
³ Green Biotechnology Laboratory, Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science Innovation and Research (MAScIR), Rabat, Morocco.
⁴ Situation Innovation-OCP Group, Casablanca, Morocco.
⁵ African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI-UM6P), Laayoune, Morocco.

Abstract

Seed priming has been for a long time an efficient application method of biofertilizers and biocontrol agents. Due to the quick degradation of the priming agents, this technique has been limited to specific immediate uses. With the increase of awareness of the importance of sustainable use of biofertilizers, seed coating has presented a competitive advantage regarding its ability to adhere easily to the seed, preserve the inoculant, and decompose in the soil. This study compared primed Phaseolus vulgaris seeds with Rhizobium tropici and trehalose with coated seeds using a silk solution mixed with R. tropici and trehalose. We represented the effect of priming and seed coating on seed germination and the development of seedlings by evaluating physiological and morphological parameters under different salinity levels (0, 20, 50, and 75 mM). Results showed that germination and morphological parameters have been significantly enhanced by applying R. tropici and trehalose. Seedlings of coated seeds show higher root density than the freshly primed seeds and the control. The physiological response has been evaluated through the stomatal conductance, the chlorophyll content, and the total phenolic compounds. The stability of these physiological traits indicated the role of trehalose in the protection of the photosystems of the plant under low and medium salinity levels. R. tropici and trehalose helped the plant mitigate the negative impact of salt stress on all traits. These findings represent an essential contribution to our understanding of stress responses in coated and primed seeds. This knowledge is essential to the design of coating materials optimized for stressed environments. However, further progress in this area of research must anticipate the development of coatings adapted to different stresses using micro and macro elements, bacteria, and fungi with a significant focus on biopolymers for sustainable agriculture and soil microbiome preservation.

Keywords: biomaterial in agriculture; food security; seed coating; soil salinity; sustainable agriculture.