Patent ID: 12193438

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present inventors have surprisingly discovered that partially coating a plant cutting with a polymeric coat optionally comprising one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds significantly improves the vigour of the plant cutting especially when the plant cutting is produced at, for example, a nursery and subsequently transported over relatively large distances before being cultivated into a mature plant elsewhere. Further, the present inventors have surprisingly discovered that the present partially encapsulated plant cutting requires no, or a relatively small growth substrate volume in order to remain viable thereby significantly reducing transport costs. Further, the present inventors have surprisingly discovered that the present partially encapsulated plant cutting produces roots quicker thereby significantly reducing greenhouse growing costs.

According to the present invention, it is essential that the plant cutting is only partially encapsulated to avoid the development of necrotic patches negatively influencing the vigour of the plant cutting.

According to a preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present polymeric solution, or suspension, is selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, agar, polyacrylamide, agarose, gelatin, and biodegradable plastics.

Sodium alginate, also designated as alginic acid or align, is an anionic polysaccharide found in the cell walls of brown algae, where, through binding with water, it forms a viscous gum. In extracted form, sodium alginate absorbs water quickly and is capable of absorbing 200 to 300 times water of its own weight. The general structure of sodium alginate is a linear copolymer with homopolymeric blocks of (1-4)-linked β-D-mannuronate (M) and its C-5 epimer α-L-guluronate (G) residues covalently linked in different sequences or blocks. The constituting monomers can appear in homopolymeric blocks of consecutive G-residues (G-blocks), consecutive M-residues (M-blocks) or alternating M and G-residues (MG-blocks).

Agar is a jelly-like substance obtained from algae. Agar is derived from the polysaccharide agarose, which forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae. Agar is the resulting mixture of the linear polysaccharide agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called agaropectin. Chemically agar can be designated as a polymer composed of subunits of galactose.

Acrylamide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula C3H5NO. It is a white odorless crystalline solid, soluble in water, ethanol, ether, and chloroform. Acrylamide can be prepared by the hydrolysis of acrylonitrile by nitrile hydratase. In industry, most acrylamide is used to synthesize polyacrylamides, which find many uses as water-soluble thickeners. These include use in wastewater treatment, gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), papermaking, ore processing, tertiaryoil recovery.

Agarose is a linear polymer with a molecular weight of about 120,000, consisting of alternating D-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactopyranose linked by α-(1→3) and β-(1→4) glycosidic bonds. The 3,6-anhydro-L-galactopyranose is an L-galactose with an anhydro bridge between the 3 and 6 positions, although some L-galactose unit in the polymer may not contain the bridge. Some D-galactose and L-galactose units can be methylated. Each agarose chain contains approximately 800 molecules of galactose, and the agarose polymer chains form helical fibers that aggregate into a supercoiled structure. When solidified, the fibers form a three-dimensional mesh of channels with a diameter depending on the concentration of agarose used.

Gelatin is a mixture of peptides and proteins produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals. During hydrolysis, the natural molecular bonds between individual collagen strands are broken down into a form that rearranges more easily. Its chemical composition is, in many respects, closely similar to that of collagen.

According to an especially preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present polymeric solution or suspension is sodium alginate. The present plant cuttings can be readily provided with a sodium alginate coat by contacting, for example by dipping, the basal cut surface of plant cutting with a sodium alginate solution of, for example, 1 to 10% w/v. Sodium alginate is especially preferred considering its non-toxic nature and biocompatibility characteristics. Further, a sodium alginate coat can be readily complexed by contacting the coated plant cutting with a Ca2+comprising solution, such as a 0.5 to 5% w/v solution of CaCl2for a sufficient amount of time, for example 10 minutes to 1 hour, to allow an exchange of the sodium ions by calcium ions.

According to another preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present method further comprises, after complexing, a wash or rinsing step, for example using water, to remove leftover potential toxic residual compounds such as ions.

According to the present invention, the present one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds are selected from the group consisting of auxin and derivatives thereof, plant hormones, antibiotics, sugars, minerals and trace elements.

A particularly suitable plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compound is auxin or a derivative thereof such as 1-naphthaleneacetetic acid or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetetic acid.

1-Naphthaleneacetic acid or NAA is an organic compound with the formula C10H7CH2CO2H. The colorless solid is soluble in organic solvents. NAA is a synthetic plant hormone of the auxin family and is an ingredient in many commercial plant rooting horticultural products; it is a rooting agent and used for the vegetative propagation of plants from stem and leaf cutting. It is also used for plant tissue culture. The hormone NAA does not occur naturally, and, like all auxins, is toxic to plants at high concentrations.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, also designated as 2,4-D, hedonal or trinoxol is a common systemic herbicide used in the control of broadleaf weeds. It is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. 2,4-D is a synthetic auxin and as such it is often used in laboratories for plant research and as a supplement in plant cell culture media such as MS medium.

According to a most preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present plant cuttings are encapsulated with a complexed coating from basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 50% of the total length of said plant cutting, preferably less than 40%, more preferably less than 20%, most preferably less than 10% to minimize, amongst others, the development of necrotic patches negatively influencing the vigour of the present plant cuttings.

For example, the general length a plant cutting is between 1 cm to 25 cm thus within the context of the present invention, a plant cutting encapsulated with a complexed coating from basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 50% indicates that less than 0.5 cm to 12.5 cm of the plant cutting is encapsulated with the present complexed coating measured from the tip of the plant cutting where the plant cutting is separated from the parent plant. As another example, a plant cutting encapsulated with a complexed coating from basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 10% indicates that less than 0.1 cm to 2.5 cm of the plant cutting is encapsulated with the present complexed coating measured from the tip where the plant cutting is separated from the parent plant.

According to the present invention, the vigour of the present plant cutting is especially improved with respect to faster root development and/or improving adventitious root formation of said plant cuttings. Although some of the one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds according to the invention have been implicated in root development, present within the present complexed polymeric coat, these compound still provide a surprising beneficial development of “true roots”, i.e. adventitious root formation as opposed to the development of callus and immature, non-functional or partially functional roots. Inherently, the formation, or the induction, of a functional root system, i.e. a root system allowing to support the development of a plant cutting into a mature plant, strongly contributes to the vigour of the present plant cuttings.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to encapsulated plant cutting comprising from the basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 60% of the total length of said plant cutting a complexed coating comprising a solidified polymeric solution, or suspension, optionally comprising one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds. These encapsulated plant cuttings can suitably be produced using the methods as outlined above.

According to a preferred embodiment of this second aspect of the present invention, the present polymeric solution, or suspension, is selected from the group consisting of sodium alginate, agar, polyacrylamide, agarose, biodegradable polymers and gelatin.

According to an especially preferred embodiment of this second aspect of the present invention, the present polymeric solution, or suspension, is sodium alginate. The present plant cuttings can be readily provided with a sodium alginate coat by contacting, for example by dipping the basal cut surface of plant cutting into a sodium alginate solution of, for example, 1 to 10% w/v. Sodium alginate is especially preferred considering its non-toxic nature and biocompatibility characteristics. Further, the sodium alginate coat can be readily complexed by contacting the coated plant cutting with a Ca2+comprising solution, such as a 0.5 to 5% w/v solution of CaCl2for a sufficient amount of time, for example 10 minutes to 1 hour, to allow an exchange of the sodium ions by calcium ions.

According to the present invention, the present one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds are selected from the group consisting of auxin and derivatives thereof, plant hormones, antibiotics, sugars, minerals and trace elements.

A particularly suitable and influential plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compound is auxin or a derivative thereof such as 1-naphthaleneacetetic acid or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetetic acid.

According to a most preferred embodiment of this second aspect of the present invention, the present plant cuttings are encapsulated with a complexed coating from the basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 50% of the total length of said plant cutting, preferably less than 40%, more preferably less than 20%, most preferably less than 10% to, for example, minimize the development necrotic patches negatively influencing the vigour of the present plant cuttings.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to encapsulated plant cuttings as outlined above in a growth substrate, preferably a growth substrate selected from the group consisting of vermiculite, glass wool, peat, rock wool, soil, coir and clay.

The present invention will be further detailed in the following example of especially preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the example, reference is made to figures wherein:

Example

Three two parts [1) coating of fresh cuttings and 2) coating of callused cuttings] trials were performed for assessing plant cutting vigour and especially root formation (FIG.1) by following the experimental protocol as depicted in a below scheme (URC denotes plant cutting):

Part 1 (Coating of Fresh Cuttings)

Step 1 (day 0) URC cut, stored at 6° C. and shipped by plane;Step 2 (day 2) URC arrive facility and stored at 6° C.;Step 3 (day 3) URC coated with alginate and auxin formulations and put in vermiculite;Step 4 (day 12) root analysis (1) and URC with callus and roots taken out from vermiculite and stored at 6° C.;Step 5 (day 14) URC put in Targa strips;Step 6 (day 23) root analysis (2) in Targa.

Part 2 (Coating of Callused Cuttings)

Step 1 (day 0) URC cut, stored at 6° C. and shipped by plane;Step 2 (day 2) URC arrive facility and stored at 6° C.;Step 3 (day 3) uncoated URC put in vermiculite;Step 4 (day 12) callused URC taken out from vermiculite, coated with alginate and auxin formulations and stored at 6° C.;Step 5 (day 14) URC put in Targa strips;Step 6 (day 23) root analysis (2) in Targa.
Plant cuttings from two species were used, i.e.Pelargonium peltatum(20629) andP. zonale(20261 and 20309).
For the trials, fresh plant cuttings were divided into 4 groups:Group 1: non-encapsulated control group;Group 2: encapsulated plant cuttings with no plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds in the complexed coat;Group 3: encapsulated plant cuttings with NAA (10 mg/l) in the complexed coat;Group 4: encapsulated plant cuttings with 2,4-D (10 mg/l) in the complexed coat.

Encapsulation was performed by dipping, cutting face first, the plant cutting (part 1, as mentioned in scheme above) and the callused cuttings (part 2, as mentioned in scheme above) in a 2.5% w/v sodium alginate solution thereby coating over approximately 10% of the length of the plant cutting with sodium alginate. Subsequently, the coated plant cuttings were incubated in a CaCl2bath (1.1% w/v) for 25 to 30 minutes allowing the exchange of the sodium ions in the alginate by calcium ions for providing a complexed alginate coat. Then, the encapsulated plant cuttings were rinsed in water to remove residual calcium and sodium ions.

All four groups of plant cuttings and callused cuttings were stored at 6° C. For part1 of the trials, the plant cuttings were placed in vermiculite and callus and root initiation were assayed by visually analyzing individual cuttings and categorizing them based on four successive stages of callus and root initiation: callus, mature callus, roots emerging, roots grown. These cuttings from part 1 of the trials and the callused cuttings from part 2 of the trials were subsequently shifted to soil present in the targa strips and vigour was assayed by visually analyzing individual cuttings and categorizing them based on stages of root formation.

Root formation was divided in five categories:No rootsRoot tipsRoots emergingRoots developingExtended root development
A representative example of the above categories is presented inFIG.1.
Below, the results of the three trails are presented in Tables 1 to 9. The numbers depict number of cuttings belonging to a specific category. Graphical presentation of the results is shown for Table 1 inFIG.2, for Table 2 inFIG.3, for Table 3 inFIG.4, etc.

TABLE 1Part 1: callus and root initiation analysisin vermiculite - variety 20309MatureRootsRootsCalluscallusemerginggrownControl2421131A (Coating)243547B (Coating +1212325NAA)C (Coating +5401872,4-D)

TABLE 2Part 1: root analysis in Targa - variety 20309NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20309rootstipsemergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl0311483A (Coating)0074320B (Coating +0002348NAA)C (Coating +01625422,4-D)

TABLE 3Part 2: 1 root analysis in Targa - variety 20309NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20309rootstipsemergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl0311483D (Callus0054226coating)E (Callus0083618Coating +NAA)F (Callus0104523Coating +2,4-D)

TABLE 4Part 1: callus and root initiation analysisin vermiculite - variety 20261MatureRootsRootsCalluscallusemerginggrownControl303063A (Coating)223983B (Coating +530278NAA)C (Coating +065302,4-D)

TABLE 5Part 1: root analysis in Targa - variety 20261NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20261rootstipsemergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl1184218A (Coating)0084617B (Coating +0103534NAA)C (Coating +00236322,4-D)

TABLE 6Part 2: 1 root analysis in Targa - variety 20261NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20261rootstipsremergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl1184218D (Callus0094120coating)E (Callus0035017Coating +NAA)F (Callus2111524Coating +2,4-D)

TABLE 7Part 1: callus and root initiation analysisin vermiculite - variety 20629MatureRootsRootsCalluscallusemerginggrownControl8172023A (Coating)5152922B (Coating +0101842NAA)C (Coating +0838232,4-D)

TABLE 8Part 1: root analysis in Targa - variety 20629NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20629rootstipsemergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl0223232A (Coating)1232640B (Coating +0162537NAA)C (Coating +611030242,4-D)

TABLE 9Part 2: 1 root analysis in Targa - variety 20629NoRootRootsRootsExtended root20629rootstipsemergingdevelopingdevelopmentControl0223232D (Callus1363228Coating)E (Callus0173527Coating +NAA)F (Callus0094118Coating +2,4-D)