Carboximetilcelulose e amido como veículo para inoculantes microbianos

Abstract

The combination of beneficial microorganisms and plants has been growing and becoming a major source of research over the years, primarily aimed at sustainable agriculture without compromising environmental quality. Microorganism inoculation in agriculture, as a soil or seed treatment, has demonstrated proven benefits for cultivated plants and soils, making them healthier, safer, and more sustainable. Inoculants are formulations that require a high-quality carrier that guarantees the concentration of active cells and tolerates variations in temperature, humidity, aeration, and storage time. Polymeric blends have been used as inoculation vehicles. Within this context, the objective was to evaluate the efficiency of the carboxymethylcellulose/starch polymeric blend as an inoculant vehicle for Bacillus subtillis and Bacillus pumilus strains. Significant differences in cell viability were detected in relation to storage time. It was found that for both strains, viability was maintained for up to 60 days. Differences were observed between the two strains in relation to the increase in the number of CFU. For B. pumilus, maintenance of cell concentration was observed for up to 30 days of storage, and for B. subtillis, at 15 days, a significant difference was observed in relation to the initial time. The quadratic polynomial regression model was found to be the most appropriate for studying the significant differences related to the relationship between the number of CFU and storage time for the two strains. For B. pumillus all coefficients of the quadratic model were significant, while for B. subtillis the quadratic was not significant. The significant linear coefficient indicates that there is a correlation

between cell viability, expressed by the number of CFU and storage time. The polymeric mixture maintained cell viability of 109 CFU mL−1 for 60 days at room temperature.