In Chile, the hydrolyzed vegetable protein from Hello Nature (formerly Italpollina) marketed as Peptamin® in Chile by the company IN-PACTA (as the brand Trainer® or Aquamin® in other countries), has been used from blossom to stone hardening with foliar applications in cherry trees, increasing the sizes by 28% over 28 mm in cherries (Avium 2020-2021). How is it possible for a biostimulant to achieve this effect? We explain it to you in a brief bibliographic review.
For the last 10 years, researchers from different parts of the world have been discovering the effects of plant peptides on cells and metabolic systems in plants. The process of obtaining Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) that Hello Nature carries out from legume plants has attracted attention due to its high quality standards, a process patented as Lisiveg® where a high concentration of biologically active peptides is obtained. Some of the many proven evidences are that they are capable of: 1. Producing biochemical effects very similar to hormonal signals; 2. Activating cell membrane enzymes to increase nutrient absorption and biochelating nutrients in soil to make them available for the plant; 3. Activating the secondary metabolism of plants (excellent for reducing the effects of abiotic stress). Next, we will concentrate on these 3 points.
1. In 2020, Lucini evaluated the metabolic activity of the effect caused by applications of Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein and showed that it is very similar to that of an auxin, being even capable of causing a greater effect on the plant than the positive control indolbutyric acid.
In the 2020-21 season, in Chile, the Avium company incorporated 5 PVH applications from jacket shedding to stone hardening in the Regina variety in the Maule Region, obtaining an increase in size without compromising quality or delaying harvests. The larger size would be achieved due to the increase in cell expansion and acceleration of metabolic pathways, and the higher proportion of calcium could be related to the increase in xylem functionality, since it has been suggested that auxins could be a physiological signal to bring calcium to the fruits. Below is a summary of the results of the Avium study:
2. In 2018, Sestili demonstrated the activation of enzymes at the foliar and root levels 6 hours after applying PVH by irrigation. The enzymes related to the nitrogen cycle rapidly increase their activity, thus allowing for greater absorption of this element. Figure 1 shows the nitrogen cycle, and the enzymes that increase with the application are enclosed in colors. These enzymes increased their activity in both the roots and leaves. This type of application is recommended in the post-harvest of cherry trees, to increase reserves by improving N efficiency and at the same time reducing the effects of thermal stress.
Other research by Giuseppe Colla indicates that Hello Nature's PVH increases nutrient absorption due to the peptides' ability to form complexes with elements so that they enter the plant more easily and quickly. The plant peptide has an electrostatic interaction, which is the most important force for stabilizing the molecule and is present in the peptide's backbone, but not when it biochelates an amino acid to a nutrient, which results in a more unstable molecule (Figure 2).
The LRPP peptide (Lateral Root Promoting Peptide), was found in the PVH obtained by Hello Nature by the Japanese Matsumiya and Kubo in 2011, which showed that they stimulate key genes for root growth and increased root hair length.
Therefore, PVH is reinforcing the nutrition cycle in a very comprehensive way, it makes the roots grow so that there is a greater interception of nutrients, it is biochelating the nutrients so that they are available to the plant and it also activates specific enzymes that will help absorb these nutrients.
3. Rouphael published a study this year in which he used two biostimulants of different origins to evaluate the development of lettuce plants under salt stress. These included Hello Nature's HPV and another stimulant of marine origin. Both managed to improve plant development in different proportions (Table 1), in which salt concentrations within the cells decreased, but only HPV showed a positive regulation of the plant's secondary metabolism, directly related to the defense system, very important to combat different abiotic stresses.
Table 1: Summary of results (Rouphael et al., 2022). % compared to the control.
The regulation of phytohormones, antioxidants or different solutes that develop a defense against biotic and abiotic stress in the plant are very interesting when evaluating a biostimulant, since this will determine whether we can use it before and/or after an adverse stress event. Linked to this, other evidence on the activation of secondary metabolism of Hello Nature's HPV are:
“The prolonged application of Hello Nature PHV causes a conditioning effect on the plant, so that it has a rapid response to adverse events (Colla et al., 2014)”
“PVH provides stability to the cell membrane, helps in osmotic adjustment and formation of antioxidants (Colla et al. 2015)”
“Hello Nature’s PVH induces the accumulation of sugars and antioxidants because it is derived from plants (Ertani et al., 2014)”
By applying biostimulants based on peptides and amino acids of plant origin, there are many benefits that we can achieve. The origin of the product with which we want to biostimulate is key to intensify its action on plants., since those of plant origin are absorbed very quickly, causing reactions in the plant 6 hours after being applied, and on the other hand, plant peptides are predefined in the genetic code, so it is very important to apply plant products for plants.
We invite you to discuss this topic further, you can find our products Peptamin® SL plus and SP Forte with 31% and 62% of peptides and amino acids respectively at www.in-pacta.cl.
