Development of nanoencapsulated biostimulant formulation for application in Soybean (Glycine max L.) under water stress conditions

Abstract

Brazil today has one of the most thriving agricultures in the world, with the GDP of Brazilian agribusiness reaching 26.6% in 2020, accounting for 38.5% of total exports. In addition, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brazil is the country that can increase its production the most, with projected growth of more than 40%. However, there are still numerous challenges to be faced in order to maximize production in a sustainable way and at a level sufficient to meet the demand for food, thus contributing to the reduction of poverty and inequality. Thus, the great challenge, especially for developing countries, is to learn to deal with the adverse effects of climate change, in order to make agriculture resilient and friendly to the environment and human health. Biostimulants are a highly effective and environmentally friendly choice to ensure beneficial effects on plants. They are known to increase nutrient uptake efficiency, nutrient availability, plant growth, flowering, fruit set, productivity and tolerance against biotic and abiotic stress, regardless of their own nutrient composition. The objective of this project is the development of a biostimulant containing a mixture of plant growth regulators (RCV) encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles. The present proposal is essentially divided into two main stages: i) scaling up the formulation (solid and/or liquid) of nanoparticles containing plant growth regulators (indoleacetic acid, gibberillin and kinetin); ii) validation of the biological activity of the formulation for seed treatment in two crops (Soybean and Corn) in the presence and absence of water stress. Thus, at the end of this proposal, it is expected to reach a level of technological maturity 6 (TRL) for the biostimulant in question. The biostimulant that will be developed in this PIPE project is innovative, since it is a formulation based on nanotechnology, which expands the potential of plant growth regulators in seed treatment. The benefits of its use in seed treatment will be explored in the economic scope and, mainly, in the biological response for plant development and production, highlighting its differential when compared to conventional biostimulants. In addition, the project aims to develop a formulation that uses the least amount of molecules (saving resources), as well as using, during the development process, components of natural origin such as biopolymers. Through this proposal, it is expected to obtain a biostimulant formulation that respects the specifications, guarantees and tolerance limits recommended by Brazilian legislation, aiming at increasing productivity in a more sustainable way. (AU)