Foliar Sugar Composition with Adjuvants for Rapid Leaf Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foliar sprays, including sugar solutions and plant nutrients, face challenges in absorption efficiency through plant leaves, leading to slow effects on growth and sugar content in fruits, especially in environments with low photosynthesis efficiency, and can cause phytotoxicity and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A sugar composition for foliar spray containing 10% or more sugar and 1% or more adjuvant, including specific surfactants, is formulated to enhance absorption and translocation, promoting fruit fattening and pest control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If sugar solution is sprayed onto plant leaves to increase sugar content and promote growth, then the sugar content in fruits increases and plant growth is promoted, but the absorption rate is slow and the effect takes time to manifest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces adjuvants (surfactants, chelating agents, amino acids) as intermediary substances that facilitate the absorption and translocation of sugar through the hydrophobic wax layer on leaf surfaces. These adjuvants act as mediators between the hydrophilic sugar molecules and the hydrophobic plant cuticle, enabling efficient uptake without directly modifying the sugar structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameters of sugar (10-50% w/v) and adjuvants (0.1-5% v/v) to achieve optimal absorption rates. By adjusting these compositional parameters, the formulation overcomes the natural resistance of the leaf surface and enables rapid sugar uptake, transforming the slow absorption characteristic into efficient delivery.
2Strength
If inorganic salt formulation or amino acid formulation is sprayed onto leaves to promote plant growth, then plant growth is promoted, but the absorption amount is small and the effect is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses adjuvants as intermediary substances that enhance the penetration of sugar and nutrients through the leaf cuticle. The surfactants and chelating agents in the adjuvant mixture facilitate the transport of dissolved substances across the hydrophobic barrier, increasing the quantity absorbed while maintaining the growth-promoting effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite formulation combining sugar, adjuvants (surfactants, chelating agents, amino acids), and water. This composite material leverages the synergistic effects of its components: sugar provides carbon and energy, adjuvants enhance penetration and stability, and the combination achieves both high absorption and strong growth promotion effects that neither component could achieve alone.
3Quantity of substance
If high concentration sugar remains on leaf surface for a long time to promote absorption, then absorption may be enhanced, but the leaf surface is contaminated and fungus grows resulting in low product quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs adjuvants that enable rapid absorption of sugar through the leaf cuticle, allowing the sugar to be quickly taken up by the plant before it can remain on the surface and cause contamination or fungal growth. This rushing through of the absorption process minimizes the window of vulnerability to surface-related problems while maintaining effective sugar delivery.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sugar composition is quickly absorbed and translocated, increasing sugar content and fruit size, while providing effective pest control without residual surface contamination.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid formulation in which the sugar, the adjuvant and an additive are added, dissolved and mixed in an aqueous solution
Implementation Method 2
the upper and lower surfaces of leaves are covered with a hydrophobic wax layer, and do not get wet with water
Implementation Method 3
Glucose made in the photosynthesis is converted to sucrose which is a disaccharide with low reactivity in the cytoplasm and moves to growing points, roots and fruits where plants need sugar
Implementation Method 4
Plants synthesize glucose, ATP and NADPH in the chloroplast from carbon dioxide absorbed through pores in their leaves, water absorbed by roots and light captured by chlorophyll. This process is called photosynthesis, and plants convert sunlight to chemical energy necessary for growth through photosynthesis
Implementation Method 5
during ripening of fruits, the starch is converted to monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose or sucrose again
Data Source
AI summary
A sugar composition of the present invention is a formulation containing sugar that can be easily absorbed into plant leaves and stems and immature fruits. When the sugar composition is diluted or dissolved in water and sprayed onto plant leaves and stems and immature fruits, sugar is rapidly absorbed into a plant and translocated like sugar produced through photosynthesis, and thus, the sugar composition can exhibit various effects such as plant growth promotion, fruit fattening, fruit coloring promotion, and increased sugar content in fruits. In addition, since sugar is rapidly absorbed into the inside of leaves after being sprayed onto the leaves, there is the effect in which the concentration of sugar remaining on the surface is rapidly lowered, and thus, the sugar composition can be safety used in the control of pest such as mites and aphids.