Engineered Nanoparticles, Natural Nanoclay and Biochar, as Carriers of Plant-Growth Promoting Bacteria

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 24; p. 4474
• Main Authors: Pavlicevic, Milica, Abdelraheem, Wael, Zuverza-Mena, Nubia, O'Keefe, Tana, Mukhtar, Salma, Ridge, Gale, Ranciato, John, Haynes, Christy, Elmer, Wade, Pignatello, Joseph, Pagano, Luca, Caldara, Marina, Marmiroli, Marta, Maestri, Elena, Marmiroli, Nelson, White, Jason C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.12.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Agriculture; Bacteria; biochar; Biofertilizers; Cell viability; Charcoal; Chitosan; Chlorophyll; Efficiency; Environmental impact; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Fertilizers; Growth; mesoporous silica; Microorganisms; Moisture content; nanoclay; Nanoparticles; Nitrogen; Nitrogen fixation; Nitrogenation; Nutrients; Outdoor air quality; Pathogens; PGPR; Phenolphthalein; Phosphorus; Plant growth; Pore size; Scientific equipment and supplies industry; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Soil bacteria; Soil contamination; Soil improvement; Soil microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Tomatoes; Water melons; White, Courtney; Canada; United States; Massachusetts; United States > US; nanoclay; mesoporous silica; biochar; PGPR; nitrogen; phosphorus
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano12244474

The potential of biochar and nanoparticles to serve as effective delivery agents for beneficial bacteria to crops was investigated. Application of nanoparticles and biochar as carriers for beneficial bacteria improved not only the amount of nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria in soil, but also improved chlorophyll content (1.2-1.3 times), cell viability (1.1-1.5 times), and antioxidative properties (1.1-1.4 times) compared to control plants. Treatments also improved content of phosphorus (P) (1.1-1.6 times) and nitrogen (N) (1.1-1.4 times higher) in both tomato and watermelon plants. However, the effect of biochars and nanoparticles were species-specific. For example, chitosan-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles with adsorbed bacteria increased the phosphorus content in tomato by 1.2 times compared to a 1.1-fold increase when nanoclay with adsorbed bacteria was applied. In watermelon, the situation was reversed: 1.1-fold increase in the case of chitosan-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles and 1.2 times in case of nanoclay with adsorbed bacteria. Our findings demonstrate that use of nanoparticles and biochar as carriers for beneficial bacteria significantly improved plant growth and health. These findings are useful for design and synthesis of novel and sustainable biofertilizer formulations.