Protein hydrolysates enhance germination and early growth of maize and sugarcane

Abstract

Protein hydrolysates have been reported as a plant biostimulant due to their activity like phytohormones. This research aimed to study protein hydrolysate's effect on the germination and growth of maize and sugarcane. Chicken feather meal (TB) and trash fish meal (TI) based protein hydrolysates were tested their ability to promote rooting and shooting in the early growth of maize and sugarcane, following an adequately dipping. In the maize bioassay, seeds were soaked for 1 hour in aquadest and 10 ppm of TB and TI hydrolysates in three replicates. Shoots and roots length were measured 5 days after germination. In the sugarcane assay, setts having a single bud on top and bottom stalk of PSJT-941 were grown in a polybag. The experiment was performed in eight treatments and 10 replicates, comprising setts from top and bottom, followed by 5, 10, and 30 minutes dipping in 20 ppm of TB hydrolysate. The setts soaked in aquadest was the negative control. Maize treated with TB hydrolysate had the highest shoots and roots length, while sugarcane setts from the top stalk soaked for 30 minutes in the TB hydrolysates showed germination in all replications besides the best in rooting and number of shoots.