Bioformulation of Microbial Fertilizer Based on Clay and Alginate Encapsulation

• Published in: Current microbiology Vol. 78; no. 1; pp. 86 - 94
• Main Authors: Meftah Kadmiri, Issam, El Mernissi, Najib, Azaroual, Salah Eddine, Mekhzoum, Mohamed El Mehdi, Qaiss, Abou El Kacem, Bouhfid, Rachid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alginates; Alginic acid; Bacteria; Bentonite; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Capsules; Clay; Clay minerals; Composite materials; Encapsulation; Fertilizers; Innovations; Kinetics; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Minerals; Montmorillonite; Nitrogen; Plant growth; Polymers; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Room temperature; Saline water; Soil stability; Soil swelling; Survival; Wheat
• ISSN: 0343-8651; 1432-0991
• DOI: 10.1007/s00284-020-02262-2

This study aims to develop new formulations for microbial fertilizers
Pseudomonas fluorescens Ms-01 (Pf)
and
Azosprillum brasilense
DSM1690 (
Ab
) using two kinds of clay minerals. The studied formulations were prepared as hybrid materials based on halloysite and alginate [Ha-Ag] or montmorillonite and alginate polymers [Mt-Ag] and were applied to the bacterial strains to develop low cost, efficient, and slow-release capsules. Their efficiency was evaluated in comparison with alginate [Ag] as the control. The produced capsules were spherical in shape and were chemically and physically characterized and further analyzed for their swelling ratios, soil biodegradability, release kinetics of microbial cells, and their survival stability over 3 months of storage under different conditions (room temperature vs 4 °C). The effect of the capsules on the growth of wheat plants was also investigated. Results showed that both formulations were able to preserve bacterial survival which reached 14.8 log CFU g
−1
after 3 months storage in the halloysite formulation. The swelling ratios were ranged between 61.5 ± 1.35% and 36.5 ± 5% for the montmorillonite and the halloysite formulations, respectively. The release kinetics revealed the slow-release capacity of the capsules mainly with the halloysite formulation which significantly released bacterial cells after 15 days of incubation in saline water (15.24 log CFU mL
−1
). The application of the capsules to wheat plants significantly increased root and shoot biomasses and nitrogen content in the roots. In conclusion, halloysite minerals seem to be more adapted as additive to alginate in microbial encapsulation.