Randi Noel, Michael J. Schueller and Richard A. Ferrieri | Molecular Sciences
April 10, 2024
Radiocarbon Flux Measurements Provide Insight into Why a Pyroligneous Acid Product Stimulates Plant Growth
Randi Noel, Michael J. Schueller and Richard A. Ferrieri
Abstract: Agriculture in the 21st century faces many formidable challenges with the growing global
population. Increasing demands on the planet’s natural resources already tax existing agricultural
practices. Today, many farmers are using biochemical treatments to improve their yields.
Commercialized organic biostimulants exist in the form of pyroligneous acid generated by burning
agricultural waste products. Recently, we examined the mechanisms through which a commercial
pyroligneous acid product, Coriphol™, manufactured by Corigin Solutions, Inc., stimulates plant
growth.
“The present work clearly demonstrated that the treatment of soil with the commercial pyroligneous acid biostimulant, Coriphol™, at optimal doses equivalent to 1 to 2 gal./acre enhanced soybean plant growth and improved yield.”
The left-side pictures show a representative set of photographs taken of the roots along
the bottom of the planting pot for an untreated control plant and a plant treated at 2 gal./acre with
Coriphol™. Mean values ± SE for number of nodules tallied across a sample of n = 6 plants in each
cohort are shown by the bars in the adjacent graph. Level of significance is depicted by ***, which
represents p < 0.001.
During the 2023 growing season, outdoor studies were conducted in soybean to examine
the effects of different Coriphol™ treatment concentrations on plant growth. Plant height, number
of leaves, and leaf size were positively impacted in a dose-dependent manner with 2 gallon/acre soil
treatments being optimal. At harvest, this level of treatment boosted crop yield by 40%. To gain an
understanding of why Coriphol™ improves plant fitness, follow-up laboratory-based studies were
conducted using radiocarbon flux analysis. Here, radioactive 11CO2 was administered to live plants
and comparisons were made between untreated soybean plants and plants treated at an equivalent
Coriphol™ dose of 2 gallons/acre. Leaf metabolites were analyzed using radio-high-performance
liquid chromatography for [11C]-chlorophyll (Chl) a and b components, as well as [11C]-β-carotene
(β-Car) where fractional yields were used to calculate metabolic rates of synthesis. Altogether,
Coriphol™ treatment boosted rates of Chl a, Chl b, and β-Car biosynthesis 3-fold, 2.6-fold, and 4.7-
fold, respectively, and also increased their metabolic turnover 2.2-fold, 2.1-fold, and 3.9-fold,
respectively. Also, the Chl a/b ratio increased from 3.1 to 3.4 with treatment. Altogether, these effects
contributed to a 13.8% increase in leaf carbon capture.
Read more and download the article…
- Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084207
- (This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Biostimulants)
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