I. What is polyglutamic acid?
Polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and human-friendly polymer, and is one of the most actively researched biopolymers. It can be synthesized in living organisms and possesses biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biosafety, making it edible and thus widely used in medicine, industry, daily life, and the environment.
Polyglutamic acid is an ecological fertilizer additive produced by microbial bio-fermentation. When added, it can increase the utilization rate of compound fertilizers from 30-35% to 40-50%, with an average increase of 8% in fertilizer utilization and an average increase of 10-25% in crop yield.
II. What is the role of polyglutamic acid in agriculture?
With the country's vigorous promotion of agricultural supply-side structural reform and advocacy of organic, green, and ecological agriculture, domestic and foreign agrochemical companies are investing heavily in biological agents and actively expanding their polyglutamic acid (PGA) product lines. PGA fertilizers, due to their powerful functions in agricultural production, have become a highly sought-after product!
Polyglutamic acid is an agricultural fertilizer that can provide good buffering capacity for the soil, balance soil pH and salinity, and increase fertilizer utilization rate from 30-35% to 40-50%, nitrogen fertilizer utilization rate by an average of 7-12%, and crop yield increase by an average of 10-25%, with root and tuber crops yielding up to 60% or more.
III. What effects will the use of polyglutamic acid have on crops?
Five key features of polyglutamic acid fertilizer
(1) The crop leaves are thicker and darker in color (photosynthesis is enhanced)
(2) The crop has a well-developed root system (good roots mean good absorption).
(3) The crop’s resistance to adverse conditions is greatly increased (resistance to late spring frost, salt tolerance, and disease resistance; the worse the environment, the better the effect).
(4) Improve crop uniformity (uniform appearance)
(5) The quality of crop products has been greatly improved (the fruit is sweeter by 1-2 degrees, has better coloring, faster coloring, and better storage stability).
IV. Applications of Polyglutamic Acid in Agriculture
1. Strong hydrophilicity and water and fertilizer retention capacity
The viscous nature of polyglutamic acid causes it to form a thin film on the surface of plant root hairs after contact with soil. This film not only protects the root hairs but also serves as an ideal transport platform for nutrients and water in the soil to come into close contact with the root hairs, effectively improving the dissolution, storage, transport, and absorption of fertilizers.
2. Biostimulation function
Five to seven days after applying polyglutamic acid, the leaves turn green and thicken, and grow with a more robust and upright growth habit. Root hairs develop by 15% within 15 days, which can increase fertilizer utilization by 20%, resulting in an average crop yield increase of 10-25%, and a yield increase of over 60% for root and tuber crops.
3. Improve ion exchange capacity and prevent metal precipitation.
Polyglutamic acid has an adsorption and exchange capacity for nutrient ions that is 100 times greater than that of natural soil. It effectively prevents phosphate, sulfate, and oxalate ions from chemical fertilizers from precipitating with metal elements, thus enabling crops to more effectively absorb phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and other elements from the soil.
4. Polyglutamic acid has buffering capacity against acids and bases.
It can effectively buffer and balance the soil pH, avoiding the acidic soil caused by long-term application of chemical fertilizers.
5. Nutritional functions
After polyglutamic acid is broken down into glutamic acid, it is absorbed and utilized by crops without any residue. It becomes an amino acid in the crop and mainly acts on the cell membrane, generating signals by binding to proteins, such as hydrogen peroxide signals, calcium signals, etc.
6. Enhance crop resistance to adverse conditions
It can improve the frost resistance of crops, especially against late spring frosts. Crops produce some polyglutamic acid, which can increase the activity of proline or antioxidant enzymes in plants by affecting calcium signaling, thus reducing the occurrence of frost damage.
7. Enhance crops' resistance to saline-alkali soil.
The amount of fertilizer applied nowadays is very large, and the soil has shown varying degrees of salinization, such as turning green or red. The mechanism of action of polyglutamic acid is to enhance the resistance to saline-alkali soil by increasing the content of proline in plants, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, improving the crop's ability to regulate osmosis, and changing the ratio of potassium and sodium ions in the crop.