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.
