Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
Department of Agricultural Science, Graduate School of Sustainability Science, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 May 15;151:1322-1331. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.10.178. Epub 2019 Nov 18.
Chitin, an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine polymer, has been known to enhance plant growth. However, this polysaccharide has not been used extensively in experimental work or agriculture practices because its hydrophobic nature makes it difficult to handle. Chitin nanofiber (CNF), which disperses well in water, can feasibly be used to evaluate the effect of chitin on the promotion of plant growth. In this study, we analysed the contents of inorganic elements and global gene expression to obtain an overview of the growth-promoting action of chitins in plants. Significant increases in the biomass of aerial parts and concentration of chlorophyll following treatment with CNF or short-chain chitin oligomers were observed in tomatoes that were hydroponically cultivated under ultralow nutrient concentrations. The results of the quantification of inorganic elements demonstrated that concentrations of nitrogen and carbon significantly increased in whole tomato plant under chitin treatment. Transcriptome analysis of CNF-treated tomatoes by RNA sequencing showed that the expression levels of genes related to nitrogen acquisition and assimilation, nutrient allocation and photosynthesis were altered. These results indicate that the growth-promoting action of chitin treatment is caused by an improvement in nitrogen uptake efficiency and that CNF could be a useful material for nutrient management in tomato production.
几丁质是一种 N-乙酰-D-葡萄糖胺聚合物，已知它可以促进植物生长。然而，由于其疏水性，这种多糖在实验工作或农业实践中尚未广泛使用。几丁质纳米纤维（CNF）在水中分散良好，可以有效地用于评估几丁质对促进植物生长的影响。在这项研究中，我们分析了无机元素的含量和全基因表达，以全面了解几丁质在植物中的促生长作用。在超低养分浓度下进行水培的番茄中，用 CNF 或短链几丁寡糖处理后，观察到地上部分生物量和叶绿素浓度显著增加。用几丁质处理的整个番茄植物中氮和碳浓度显著增加的无机元素定量结果表明。通过 RNA 测序对 CNF 处理的番茄进行的转录组分析表明，与氮吸收和同化、养分分配和光合作用相关的基因表达水平发生了改变。这些结果表明，几丁质处理的促生长作用是由于氮吸收效率的提高引起的，CNF 可能是番茄生产中养分管理的有用材料。
