E-seed skin: Carbohydrate-protein hybrid nanostructure for delayed germination and accelerated growth

Abstract

The main purpose of the seed industry is to cater seeds with desired strength and viability for which seed coating is the basic requirement. Here, a hybrid coating of electro-sprayed protein (collagen) on electro-spinned nanofiber having multidentate zinc-reinforced carbohydrate (pectin)/PVA composite (PVA/Pec/Zn/Col-NF) has been attempted. The zinc ensures covalent binding with -OH in pectin/PVA in addition to native galvanic binding between the polymers. Along with this, hydrogen bonding interactions between -NH2 groups of electrosprayed collagen and -OH groups in PVA/pectin further enable the formation of a highly stable nanostructure. Assembling of collage from soft connecting tissue to hard bones in proportion to its concentration has been used here for water resistance. The humidity resistance of the coating along with the participation of zinc as a nutrient jointly delayed the germination by 8 days and accelerated the seedling’s growth by approximately two times, respectively. Moreover, the fungal resistance of coating renders coated seeds capable of germinating even in the presence of phytopathogen. Thus, the developed PVA/Pec/Zn/Col-NF coating material and approach with constructed tight packing without affecting seed viability has been demonstrated as a pioneering seed coating technique for increasing global food security amidst climate change and global warming.