Plant invigorator

Abstract

To provide a plant vitalizer producible by a simple method without using limited resources and chemicals.SOLUTION: The plant vitalizer produced from biomass raw materials containing cellulose and lignin contains oligosaccharides and humic substances containing fulvic acid and has a concentration of fulvic acid of 90000mg / kg-dry or more and 130000mg / kg-dry or less as determined from three dimensional fluorescence intensity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plant vitalizer. [Background technology]

[0002] Humic substances have the ability to absorb calcium (lime) and magnesium (magnesium), which prevents fertilizer components from being washed away by water, increasing the soil's fertility capacity, and preventing the fixation of phosphate, making them useful as plant vitalizers. Humic substances are produced by the decomposition of organic matter derived from plants and animals by microorganisms over a long period of time.

[0003] Since humic substances produced in nature are a limited resource, various efforts have been made recently to industrially produce humic substances. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing humic acid (humic acid) by treating young charcoal with nitric acid or alkali, and obtaining a plant vitalizer.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a method for obtaining a plant vitalizer containing humic acid by treating peat with water and an alkaline solution. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-95555 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-89615 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The plant activators described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require young charcoal such as peat as a raw material. However, because these are finite resources, there are concerns that they will become depleted, and there is a risk that plant activators using these as raw materials will not be able to be continuously produced. In addition, because chemicals are used to produce the plant activators, production costs and safety management become issues, and the environmental impact is also high.

[0007] Therefore, there is a demand for plant activators that can be produced by simple methods without using limited resources or chemicals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The plant activator of the present invention is a plant activator produced from biomass raw materials containing cellulose and lignin, and contains oligosaccharides and humic substances including fulvic acid, and the concentration of the fulvic acid calculated from three-dimensional fluorescence intensity is 90,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 130,000 mg / kg-dry or less.

[0009] This configuration allows for the production of a plant activator containing humic substances using sustainable biomass materials, without using limited resources such as peat as raw materials. In particular, the humic substance contains fulvic acid at a concentration of 90,000 mg / kg-dry to 130,000 mg / kg-dry, which makes it more effective as a plant activator. Furthermore, the inclusion of oligosaccharides has a beneficial effect on plant growth. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a process block diagram showing a manufacturing process of a plant vitalizer. [Figure 2] 1 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-soluble fraction (fulvic acid) according to Example 1. [Figure 3] 1 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-soluble fraction (fulvic acid) according to Example 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-soluble fraction (fulvic acid) according to Example 3. [Figure 5]This is the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of Danto fulvic acid. [Figure 6] 1 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-insoluble fraction (humic acid) according to Example 1. [Figure 7] 3 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-insoluble fraction (humic acid) according to Example 2. [Figure 8] 3 is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of the acid-insoluble fraction (humic acid) according to Example 3. [Figure 9] This is a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of Danto humic acid. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 shows the results of HPLC measurement in Example 2. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 shows the results of a hydroponic culture test. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the plant activator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0012] [Plant vitalizer] The plant vitalizing agent according to the present invention is produced from a biomass raw material and contains oligosaccharides and humic substances.

[0013] Oligosaccharides are compounds in which approximately 2 to 10 monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, are glycosidicly bonded. Examples of oligosaccharides included in the present invention include fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, gentiooligosaccharides, cellooligosaccharides, mannooligosaccharides, trehalose, and soybean oligosaccharides, and the present invention may contain one or more of these. The plant activator of the present invention may contain oligosaccharides derived from biomass raw materials, and may contain both oligosaccharides derived from biomass raw materials and oligosaccharides added after production (oligosaccharides not derived from biomass raw materials). Considering production costs, it is preferable to contain only oligosaccharides derived from biomass raw materials.

[0014] Humic substances are the final products of the decomposition of organic matter of plant and animal origin by microorganisms, and are a general term for organic substances with unspecified chemical structures. Humic substances include fulvic acid and humic acid. Fulvic acid is defined as an amorphous organic substance that is alkali-soluble and acid-soluble, while humic acid is defined as an amorphous organic substance that is alkali-soluble and acid-insoluble. These humic substances are useful as plant stimulants due to their chelating and pH-buffering properties, and are known to be found in humus soil in nature.

[0015] The concentration of humic substances in the plant activator according to the present invention is determined using a three-dimensional fluorescence method, which is a method for measuring fluorescence intensity by scanning the wavelengths of excitation light and fluorescence, and can quantify the amount of humic substances from a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum represented by the excitation wavelength, fluorescence wavelength, and fluorescence intensity.

[0016] Humic substances are quantified by dissolving the plant vitalizer in an alkaline solution, and then classifying the acid-soluble fraction soluble in an acid solution as fulvic acid and the acid-insoluble fraction insoluble in an acid solution as humic acid. The three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of both the acid-soluble and acid-insoluble fractions are measured, the sum of the fluorescence intensities in the wavelength range in which the humic substances exhibit fluorescence is calculated, and the intensity is normalized with respect to a standard substance. In this invention, Danto fulvic acid and Danto humic acid, both of which are distributed by the Japanese Humic Substances Society, were used, and the concentration of humic substances contained in the plant vitalizer was calculated based on their fluorescence intensities.

[0017] The concentration of fulvic acid in the present invention is 90,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 130,000 mg / kg-dry or less, and preferably 100,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 120,000 mg / kg-dry or less. By including fulvic acid at the above concentration in the plant vitalizer, it is possible to improve plant growth.

[0018] Similarly, the concentration of humic acid in the present invention is 40,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 80,000 mg / kg-dry or less, and preferably 50,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 70,000 mg / kg-dry or less. By including humic acid at this concentration in the plant vitalizer, it is possible to improve plant growth.

[0019] Biomass raw materials used as raw materials for plant vitalizers include cellulose and lignin. Examples of such biomass raw materials include grass or plant biomass such as rice straw, wheat straw, and bagasse; thinning materials such as bamboo and bamboo grass; wood processing waste such as sawdust, chips, and scraps; woody biomass such as roadside tree pruning materials, wooden construction waste, bark, and driftwood; and cellulose products such as waste paper. Sludge, livestock manure, agricultural waste, and urban waste can also be used as long as they contain cellulose and lignin to an extent that they can be used as biomass raw materials. These biomass raw materials may be used alone or in combination with multiple different types. For example, in addition to lignin, they may contain polysaccharides such as oligosaccharides, starch, hemicellulose, and pectin.

[0020] In this way, by using biomass raw materials as raw materials for plant vitalizers, rather than using limited resources such as peat, it is possible to provide a stable supply of plant vitalizers. Furthermore, while it is difficult to control the concentration of humus substances in naturally occurring humus soil, the present invention makes it possible to provide plant vitalizers of stable quality.

[0021] [Method for producing plant vitalizer] Next, a method for producing a plant activator according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The method for producing a plant activator includes a drying step 1 in which a biomass raw material is dried to reduce the moisture content, and a crushing step 2 in which the biomass raw material is crushed.

[0022] The biomass raw material may be coarsely pulverized to particles of approximately 1 mm to 100 mm in a coarse pulverization step before being dried in the drying step 1. Coarse pulverization allows the biomass raw material to be formed into a shape that is easy to handle. In the coarse pulverization step, a pulverization method can be selected depending on the form of the biomass raw material, and for example, a general-purpose pulverizer such as a hammer mill, cutter mill, vibration mill, ball mill, rod mill, roller mill, colloid mill, disk mill, or jet mill can be used. Furthermore, the pulverization treatment in the coarse pulverization step can be either a dry or wet method, but dry pulverization is preferable in terms of reducing the crystallinity of cellulose.

[0023] The coarsely pulverized biomass material is dried in drying step 1. Whether or not to perform drying step 1 may be determined by measuring the moisture content of the biomass material and determining the moisture content. In drying step 1, the moisture content of the biomass material is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less. The moisture content of the biomass material may be 0% by mass, but since prolonged drying is uneconomical, it is preferable that the moisture content be 3% by mass or more. Drying step 1 may be performed by natural drying, or by heating the biomass material with hot air drying or an electric heater, etc. The coarse pulverization step may be performed after the moisture content of the biomass material is reduced to the above-mentioned value or less. By dry-pulverizing biomass material with a low moisture content, the crystallinity of cellulose and lignin can be efficiently reduced. Note that drying step 1 may be omitted.

[0024] The biomass raw material that has been coarsely pulverized in the coarse pulverization step or whose moisture content has been adjusted in the drying step 1 is pulverized in the pulverization step 2 to become a plant vitalizer.

[0025] In the grinding step 2, the biomass raw material can be ground using a grinder equipped with grinding media, such as a ball mill (e.g., a planetary ball mill), a rod mill, or a vibrating mill. The grinding force from the grinding media causes the biomass raw material to undergo a mechanochemical effect, resulting in decomposition into components such as cellulose and lignin, resulting in a decrease in crystallinity and a decrease in molecular weight. Further decomposition and condensation of the lignin is thought to produce humic substances such as fulvic acid and humic acid. The production of such plant activators is safe and environmentally friendly because it does not use chemicals such as nitric acid or sulfuric acid. Furthermore, because young charcoal such as peat is not used as a raw material, there is no need to worry about resource depletion, and the plant activator can be produced by a simple method.

[0026] In the pulverization step 2, the biomass raw material is preferably pulverized at a temperature ranging from 20° C. to 300° C. Therefore, the pulverizer is preferably equipped with a heating device such as a heater for heating the biomass raw material, and a control device for controlling the temperature at a constant level.

[0027] The grinding conditions in the grinding step 2, such as the grinding time and the grinder rotation speed, are not particularly limited and can be set to any conditions. The grinder rotation speed is preferably in the range of 200 rpm to 2000 rpm, for example. The higher the rotation speed, the more easily carbonization progresses, but a rotation speed of more than 300 rpm and less than 1500 rpm is preferred in consideration of the balance between production energy and equipment load. The ball diameter and ball weight can be set to any values, but when the vessel capacity of the ball mill is 2 L, it is recommended that they be 1 mmφ to 30 mmφ and 1 kg to 8 kg. The grinding time is preferably 10 minutes or more, and can be 10 minutes to 10 hours.

[0028] While it takes a very long time, on the order of hundreds of years, for humic substances to be produced in nature, the present invention makes it possible to produce humic substances in a short time using a simple method, thereby enabling the mass production of plant vitalizers containing humic substances without increasing the environmental burden.

[0029] Water-soluble components such as oligosaccharides and humic substances related to the plant vitalizing agent produced in the pulverization step 2 may be extracted with water in the extraction step. In the extraction step, it is desirable to add and mix water in an amount 0.1 to 500 times the amount of the plant vitalizing agent obtained in the pulverization step 2, and then perform solid-liquid separation in a solid-liquid separator to obtain water-soluble components (extract) and a residue. Examples of solid-liquid separators include devices using gravity sedimentation, centrifugation, membrane separation, coagulation separation, and flotation separation.

[0030] The solubilized solution containing the water-soluble components obtained in the extraction step may be subjected to total organic carbon measurement, sugar component analysis, NMR, GC-MS, etc., to identify the components contained therein. Alternatively, the solubilization rate may be determined from the total organic carbon measurement. Here, "solubilization rate" refers to the ratio of the amount of carbon contained in the water-soluble components to the amount of carbon contained in sugars such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and oligosaccharides contained in the biomass raw material (amount of water-soluble organic carbon / amount of carbon contained in the sugars contained in the raw material). In the plant activator of the present invention, the solubilization rate is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 20% to 70%.

[0031] [Example] Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the descriptions of these examples.

[0032] Example 1 A plant activator was obtained using 25 g of sugarcane bagasse containing cellulose and lignin as the biomass feedstock using the above-described plant activator manufacturing method. In the pulverization step 2, a ball mill (5 mm diameter ball, 75 g) was used as the pulverizer, and the mixture was pulverized at 1200 rpm and heated to 120°C for 45 minutes to obtain the plant activator. The moisture content of the biomass feedstock was adjusted to an appropriate value. The resulting plant activator was then mixed with 10 times the amount of water and subjected to solid-liquid separation using a solid-liquid separator to obtain a solubilized solution, after which the solubilization rate was calculated. The solubilization rate was determined by measuring the carbohydrate content of the biomass feedstock calculated by constituent sugar analysis and the total organic carbon content of the solubilized solution using a TOC analyzer (total organic carbon meter) to measure the amount of water-soluble organic carbon.

[0033] In addition, 0.3 g of the resulting plant vitalizer was weighed out, 30 mL of 0.1 M NaOH solution was added, and the mixture was shaken for 6 hours. After overnight settling, the mixture was centrifuged and the supernatant was filtered to obtain the alkali-soluble fraction. Hydrochloric acid was added to the alkali-soluble fraction to separate it into an acid-soluble fraction and an acid-insoluble fraction. The acid-insoluble fraction was designated as fulvic acid, and the acid-insoluble fraction was designated as humic acid. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectra were measured for each of these fractions. The sum of the fluorescence intensities of fulvic acid and humic acid at excitation wavelengths of 250-500 nm and emission wavelengths of 375-550 nm was calculated by converting the fluorescence intensity of 1 μg / L quinine sulfate at an excitation wavelength of 345 nm and emission wavelength of 455 nm to 1 QSU.

[0034] The concentrations of fulvic acid and humic acid in Example 1 were calculated by normalizing the sum of the fluorescence intensities of fulvic acid and humic acid using the Danto fulvic acid and Danto humic acid standards distributed by the Japanese Humic Substances Society. The fluorescence intensity of 1 mg / L of Danto fulvic acid was calculated as 42.6 × 10 3 The fluorescence intensity of QSU and Danto humic acid was 30.7 × 10 3 The dry weight of the plant activator was determined by drying the plant activator overnight and measuring the mass before and after drying.

[0035] Example 2 Except for changing the grinding time to 60 minutes, a plant activator was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. Furthermore, the solubilization rate of the plant activator and the concentration of humic substances were determined in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0036] Example 3 Except for changing the grinding time to 90 minutes, a plant activator was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. Furthermore, the solubilization rate of the plant activator and the concentration of humic substances were determined in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0037] 2 to 4 show the results of three-dimensional fluorescence spectra for the acid-soluble fractions (fulvic acid) of Examples 1 to 3. The vertical axis represents the excitation wavelength Ex, and the horizontal axis represents the fluorescence wavelength Em. When compared with the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum for Danto fulvic acid shown in FIG. 5, the spectra are in the wavelength range in which fulvic acid exhibits fluorescence, suggesting the presence of fulvic acid in the acid-soluble fractions of Examples 1 to 3.

[0038] Similarly, Figures 6 to 8 show the results of three-dimensional fluorescence spectra for the acid-insoluble fractions (humic acid) of Examples 1 to 3. When compared with the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum for humic acid shown in Figure 9, the spectra are in the wavelength range in which humic acid exhibits fluorescence, suggesting the presence of humic acid in the acid-insoluble fractions of Examples 1 to 3.

[0039] The solubilization rates and concentrations of fulvic acid and humic acid of the plant vitalizers according to Examples 1 to 3 were as shown in the table below. As shown in Table 1, it was found that the concentration of humic substances increased with an increase in solubilization rate.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] The results of analyzing the solubilized solution of Example 2 by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are shown in Figure 10. The horizontal axis shows retention time, and the vertical axis shows peak area. The measurement was performed using a Shodex SH1011 (Sugar) column, with water as the mobile phase, a flow rate of 0.5 mL / min, a column temperature of 50°C, and a sample injection volume of 20 μL. As shown in Figure 10, Example 2 contained cellotetraose, hexaose, cellobiose, glucose, and xylose, indicating that the plant vitality agent of Example 2 contains oligosaccharides.

[0042] Next, there will be described the results of a hydroponic cultivation test of leaf lettuce using the plant vitalizing agents according to Examples 1 and 2. The hydroponic cultivation test was carried out at 23°C to 25°C for 14 days.

[0043] Example 4 The above test was carried out using a hydroponic solution prepared by dissolving 10 mg of the plant vitalizer according to Example 1 in 1 L of tap water. After harvesting, the fresh weight per plant was measured for 60 plants, and the average value and standard deviation were calculated.

[0044] Example 5 The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that 50 mg of the plant vitalizing agent according to Example 1 was dissolved.

[0045] Example 6 The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that 100 mg of the plant vitalizing agent of Example 1 was dissolved.

[0046] Example 7 The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that the plant vitalizing agent of Example 2 was used.

[0047] Example 8 The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that 50 mg of the plant vitalizing agent according to Example 2 was dissolved.

[0048] Example 9 The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that 100 mg of the plant vitalizing agent of Example 2 was dissolved.

[0049] (Comparative Example) The test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 4, except that no plant vitalizer was used.

[0050] The results of Examples 4 to 9 and the Comparative Example are shown in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 11, the average fresh weight per plant using the plant activator was greater than that of the Comparative Example. Furthermore, a tendency was observed in which the average fresh weight increased as the amount of plant activator used increased. Furthermore, a comparison of Examples 4 to 6 with Examples 7 to 9 suggested that the fresh weight tended to increase as the concentration of humic substances contained in the plant activator increased. From the above, it was found that the plant activator according to the present invention has the effect of improving plant growth.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, the following configurations are envisioned. (1) A plant vitalizer produced from biomass raw materials containing cellulose and lignin, which contains oligosaccharides and humic substances containing fulvic acid, and the concentration of fulvic acid determined from three-dimensional fluorescence intensity is 90,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 130,000 mg / kg-dry or less.

[0052] This configuration allows for the production of a plant activator containing humic substances using sustainable biomass materials, without using limited resources such as peat as raw materials. In particular, the humic substance contains fulvic acid at a concentration of 90,000 mg / kg-dry to 130,000 mg / kg-dry, which makes it more effective as a plant activator. Furthermore, the inclusion of oligosaccharides has a beneficial effect on plant growth.

[0053] (2) In the plant vitalizer of (1), the humic substances further contain humic acid, and it is preferable that the concentration of humic acid calculated from the three-dimensional fluorescence intensity is 40,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 80,000 mg / kg-dry or less.

[0054] According to this configuration, the humic acid content as a humic substance is 40,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 80,000 mg / kg-dry or less, and therefore the effect as a plant vitalizer is easily exhibited.

[0055] (3) In the plant activator of (1) or (2), it is preferable that the plant activator contains a water-soluble component, and the ratio of the amount of carbon contained in the water-soluble component to the amount of carbon contained in the carbohydrates contained in the biomass raw material is 20% or more and 70% or less.

[0056] According to this configuration, 20% to 70% of the carbon content contained in the carbohydrates of the biomass raw material is converted into water-soluble components, so that the oligosaccharides and humic substances derived from the biomass raw material contained in the plant vitality agent are soluble in water and easily absorbed by plants.

[0057] (4) In the plant activator of (1) or (2), the concentration of humic substances is preferably a value calculated from the three-dimensional fluorescence intensity of the acid-soluble fraction or acid-insoluble fraction of the alkali-soluble fraction of the plant activator, using the fluorescence intensity of Danto fulvic acid or Danto humic acid as a standard.

[0058] According to this configuration, the concentrations of fulvic acid and humic acid contained in the plant vitalizing agent can be calculated without specifying the molecular structures of the fulvic acid and humic acid. [Industrial Applicability]

[0059] The present invention is applicable to plant vitality agents produced from biomass materials containing cellulose and lignin.

Claims

1. A plant vitalizer produced from a biomass raw material containing cellulose and lignin, oligosaccharides and humic substances including fulvic acid; The plant activator, wherein the concentration of the fulvic acid determined from the three-dimensional fluorescence intensity is 90,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 130,000 mg / kg-dry or less.

2. the humic substances further comprise humic acid; 2. The plant activator according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the humic acid determined from the three-dimensional fluorescence intensity is 40,000 mg / kg-dry or more and 80,000 mg / kg-dry or less.

3. It contains water-soluble components, 3. The plant activator according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the amount of carbon contained in the water-soluble components to the amount of carbon contained in the carbohydrates contained in the biomass raw material is 20% or more and 70% or less.

4. The plant activator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of the humic substances is a value calculated from the three-dimensional fluorescence intensity of the acid-soluble fraction or acid-insoluble fraction of the alkali-soluble fraction of the plant activator, using the fluorescence intensity of Danto fulvic acid or Danto humic acid as a standard.

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