Biodegradable Dextrin-Based Microgels for Slow Release of Dual Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture

Biodegradable Dextrin-Based Microgels for Slow Release of Dual Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture

In this research, we report dextrin-based biodegradable microgels (PDXE MGs) having phosphate-based cross-linking units for slow release of urea and a potential P source to improve fertilization. PDXE MGs (∼200 nm) are synthesized by cross-linking the lauroyl-functionalized dextrin chains with sodiu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS applied materials & interfaces 2024-03, Vol.16 (9), p.11860-11871
Main Authors: Dhiman, Ankita, Thaper, Piyush, Bhardwaj, Dimpy, Agrawal, Garima
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Agriculture
Applications of Polymer, Composite, and Coating Materials
Chlorophyll
Dextrins
Fertilizers
Microgels
Nitrogen
Soil
Urea
Zea mays
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Summary:In this research, we report dextrin-based biodegradable microgels (PDXE MGs) having phosphate-based cross-linking units for slow release of urea and a potential P source to improve fertilization. PDXE MGs (∼200 nm) are synthesized by cross-linking the lauroyl-functionalized dextrin chains with sodium tripolyphosphate. The developed PDXE MGs exhibit high loading (∼10%) and encapsulation efficiency (∼88%) for urea. It is observed that functionalization of PDXE MGs with lauroyl chains slows down the release of urea (90% in ∼24 days) as compared to nonfunctionalized microgels (PDX MGs) (99% in ∼17 days) in water. Further studies of the developed formulation display that Urea@PDXE MGs significantly boost maize seed germination and overall plant growth as compared to pure urea fertilizer. Moreover, analysis of maize leaves obtained from plants treated with Urea@PDXE MGs reveals 3.5 ± 0.3% nitrogen content and 90 ± 0.7 mg/g chlorophyll content. These values are significantly higher than 1.4 ± 0.6% nitrogen content and 48 ± 0.05 mg/g chlorophyll content obtained by using bare urea. Further, acid phosphatase activity in roots is reduced upon treatment with PDXE MGs and Urea@PDXE MGs, suggesting the availability of P upon degradation of PDXE MGs by the amylase enzyme in soil. These experimental results present the developed microgel-based biodegradable formulation with a slow release feature as a potential candidate to move toward sustainable agriculture practices.
ISSN:1944-8244
1944-8252