en.Wedoany.com Reported - A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with partners, has developed a dual-layer nano-coating to encapsulate the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Klebsiella variicola W12. The coating protects the bacteria from ultraviolet radiation, drought, oxidative stress, and temperature fluctuations, enabling them to better survive and fix nitrogen on rice leaves.
According to the study published in Nature Food, the bacteria are encased in a dual-layer shell made of tannic acid, iron ions, and sodium alginate. The outer layer utilizes metal-phenolic networks to provide antioxidant and UV-shielding functions, while the inner layer of sodium alginate improves moisture retention and biofilm formation. Factors such as ultraviolet radiation, drought, and temperature fluctuations in the leaf environment typically cause rapid microbial death, but this coating effectively extends the survival time of the bacteria on the leaf surface.
In a hydroponic environment, 14 days after application, the colonization efficiency of coated bacteria on the rice leaf surface was 3.3 times that of uncoated bacteria. These bacteria contributed 27.89% of the total plant nitrogen, more than double that of untreated bacteria, and increased plant fresh weight by 1.4 times after 54 days. In field trials with Meiliangyou rice, the coated treatment plots showed higher seed dry weight and total biomass compared to untreated control plots.
The research findings help address key challenges in foliar biofertilization. Currently, most commercial nitrogen-fixing microbial products colonize through seeds or root zones because microbes typically cannot survive long enough on leaves. Commercial products from companies such as Pivot Bio, which colonize through root zones, can replace approximately 20% to 25% of nitrogen demand for corn crops. The newly developed foliar approach could provide biological nitrogen to a wider range of crop types later in the growing season, thereby complementing existing technologies.
Researchers indicate that significant work remains from laboratory and preliminary field studies to commercial application, including optimizing coating formulations for different crops and climates, evaluating the safety of nano-coating materials at agricultural scale, developing cost-effective manufacturing processes, and obtaining regulatory approvals. A commentary in Nature Biotechnology describes this technology as an important step toward practical foliar biofertilization.
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