Performance of Gamma Irradiated Polysaccharides as Growth Promoter on Selective Crops

Abstract

Biopolymers are excellent to be used in various biomedical, environmental, industrial, pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. Chitosan and alginate are very forefront polymers of this category. Their potentiality as biofertilizer has been investigated in this study. Low molecular weights of these polymers were obtained after irradiating them at different radiation dose from 5-100 kGy by using Co60 gamma source. Optimized radiation dose for SA and CS were being used and a range of concentration from 100-1000 ppm of each of them and their mixture were applied by foliar spray on some crops (tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, mungdal, pumpkin, jute, eggplant, green chilli , red chilli and betel vine) over a period of time. For every cases, treated samples have shown more productivity and growth due to the fertilizer effect of the polymers compared to that of control samples. The treated plants other than betel vines have shown productivity and growth with a range of 16%-300% and 28%-300% respectively. However, betel vine has shown growth from 48%-81%. Lower concentrations of the polymer were found to be more effective than the higher concentration of them applied on the plants. TGA and SEM analysis confirmed that there was no stagnance of the polymers’ over the plants. Analysis of nutrient and heavy metal uptake was also conducted for betel vines and for the vine’s garden soil. Chitosan showed a better chelation effect with the metal cations, however, alginate was found to be superior in growth of the plants. Along with the increase of nutrients uptake into the plants, chitosan incorporated antifungal property in betel vines and from the sensory evaluation test it has been proved testier than the control plants.