KR102376850B1 - Composition for promoting plant growth and increasing biomass comprising excrement extract of Zophobas morio as effective component and uses thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition for promoting plant growth and biomass enhancement containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed on Styrofoam. The super mealworm excrement extract of the present invention is used as a composition for plant growth or biomass enhancement, and as a fertilizer. It can be used as an active ingredient in compositions or soil conditioners, promotes plant growth and increases production, and is expected to be developed as an artificial humic acid to replace the existing natural humic acid market.

Description

Composition for promoting plant growth and increasing biomass comprising excrement extract of Zophobas morio as effective component and uses thereof}

The present invention relates to a composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass containing the excrement extract of super mealworms as an active ingredient, and its use.

Recently, food supply problems due to the increase in world population, environmental problems due to global warming, energy crisis due to depletion of oil resources, and human health problems are emerging socially. Plant resources can be used to solve food problems by increasing yields or energy problems by producing bioenergy using biomass. In particular, genetically modified crops (GM crops), which have been improved using biotechnology that has greatly advanced since the 20th century, are considered a major means of solving these problems.

Plant biomass usually refers to the yield of feed crops such as hay, and recently, research is being actively conducted to develop bioenergy such as ethanol by increasing the biomass of non-edible crops. The biomass yield of a plant is proportional to the size of the plant, and many species maintain a constant ratio of sizes between different parts of the plant at certain stages of development. Therefore, when comparing the size of plants, the size of another organ can be estimated by measuring the size of one organ. For example, it is known that larger plants with greater leaf area typically absorb more light and carbon dioxide than smaller plants and thus gain greater weight in the same period of time. In particular, rapid plant growth is important to increase plant biomass productivity. Since the size of the plant in the early development stage is typically related to the size of the plant in the later development stage, if the early growth of the plant can be promoted, biomass productivity can be increased.

Super mealworm ( Zophobas morio ) is a larva belonging to the Coleoptera family Tenebrionidae. It is larger than mealworms and has a high fat content, so it is used as food for fish, arthropods, birds, insectivores, reptiles, and other insects. there is. The life type of the super mealworm is roaming and burrowing, and the size of the adult is about 4~5cm. The growth rate is 1~2 weeks for eggs, 4~5 months for larvae, 1~2 weeks for pupae, and 1~2 weeks for adults. Spend 2 to 3 months. In addition, the optimal breeding temperature is 25-30℃, and each adult female lays about 200-400 eggs.

Recently, various attempts have been made to overcome plastic recalcitrance, and it has been revealed that mealworms can decompose plastic. It has been found that mealworms can remove about 34 to 39 mg of Styrofoam per day by digesting synthetic polymer substances using intestinal microorganisms, but there has been no reported case of converting Styrofoam polymer into useful substances using insects.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Publication No. 2014-0066868 discloses 'Method for producing super mealworms containing Cordyceps sinensis and animal feed containing super mealworms manufactured thereby', and Korean Patent Publication No. 2018-0007552 discloses 'Mealworms'. A composition having an anti-obesity effect using a 'composition' has been disclosed, but there has been no description of the composition for promoting plant growth and biomass enhancement containing the excrement extract of the super mealworm of the present invention as an active ingredient and its use.

The present invention was developed in response to the above-mentioned needs, and the present inventors confirmed the presence of a compound with a structure similar to commercial humic acid in the black excrement extract of super mealworm ( Zophobas morio ) fed with styrofoam, and the black excrement The present invention was completed by confirming that the extract increases the leaf width and root length of lettuce.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed with expanded polystyrene.

Additionally, the present invention provides a method for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass, comprising the step of treating the composition to plants, plant seeds, or plant planting soil.

In addition, the present invention provides a fertilizer composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass and a soil volume improver containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed with expandable polystyrene.

The black excrement extract of super mealworms fed with Styrofoam (expandable polystyrene) of the present invention has excellent plant growth and biomass enhancement effects and can be used as an active ingredient in compositions for plant growth and biomass enhancement, fertilizer compositions, or soil conditioners. It can be usefully used.

Figure 1 is a photograph showing the degree of growth of lettuce when the black excrement extract of the super mealworm fed with the Styrofoam of the present invention was treated at different concentrations (0.02, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 g/L) using lettuce as a model plant ( A) This is the result of measuring lettuce leaf width (B) and lettuce root length (C). Control; MS Badge.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides a composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworm ( Zophobas morio ) fed with expanded polystyrene.

The term 'biomass' in the present invention refers to the dry weight or fresh weight of the plant, and biomass refers to all parts of the plant unless otherwise specified, such as shoot biomass (all plant parts above ground), May include, but is not limited to, leaf biomass and root biomass. The term “dry weight” refers to the weight of a plant that has been dried to remove the majority of the moisture in the cells. The term “fresh weight” refers to the weight of the undried plant. Biomass can be measured by biomass measurement methods known in the art.

In this specification, the expandable polystyrene refers to “styrofoam,” which is a resource-saving material made up of 98% of the volume of air and the remaining 2% of the resin. In this specification, the term expandable polystyrene may be used interchangeably with styrofoam.

In this specification, the super mealworm is Zophobas from Coleoptera and Tenebrionidae. It may be a mealworm larva with the scientific name morio , and preferably a mealworm larva with a brown or black shell. Super mealworms have a metabolic process that can produce melanin, a black pigment, and mealworm larvae, which have white shells, cannot synthesize black melanin pigment and therefore cannot excrete black excrement.

In addition, the black excrement extract of the super mealworm can be extracted using water, a lower alcohol with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a mixture of water and lower alcohol as an extraction solvent, preferably using water as an extraction solvent. However, it is not limited to this.

In the composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass according to one embodiment of the present invention, the black excrement extract of the super mealworm fed with Styrofoam is obtained by selecting only black excrement from the excrement of the super mealworm fed with Styrofoam. It can be prepared by adding water to the black excrement and then stirring and filtering to obtain a filtrate, but is not limited to this.

In the composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass according to one embodiment of the present invention, the plants include lettuce, potato, eggplant, tobacco, pepper, tomato, burdock, crown crown, bellflower root, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potato, celery, and carrot. , water parsley, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, Japanese radish, watermelon, melon, cucumber, pumpkin, gourd, strawberry, soybean, mung bean, kidney bean, pea, or dicotyledonous plants such as rice, barley, wheat, rye, corn, sugarcane, oats, It may be a monocotyledonous plant such as an onion, preferably a dicotyledonous plant, and more preferably lettuce.

The present invention also provides a method for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass, comprising the step of treating plants, plant seeds, or plant planting soil with the composition for promoting plant growth and biomass. A method of promoting plant growth and increasing biomass can be performed by immersing the plant in the composition or by drenching, that is, spraying. In the case of the immersion method, the composition may be poured into the soil around the plant or seeds may be immersed in the composition, but are not limited thereto.

In addition, the present invention provides a fertilizer composition for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass, comprising as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed with Styrofoam.

The term 'fertilizer' in the present invention refers to all substances that supply one or more elements necessary for plants to grow normally, including organic fertilizers (consisting of decomposed plant/animal substances) and inorganic fertilizers (chemical substances and (consisting of inorganic substances), etc.

The fertilizer composition according to the present invention can be formulated into various forms such as liquid, powder, pellets, or granules of appropriate size using a general formulation machine, but is not limited thereto. The fertilizer composition of the present invention formulated above can be used as is or after being air-dried at room temperature, freeze-dried, or dried at high temperature. In order to properly use a fertilizer composition in liquid form in farms, it must be within the pH range usable for crops and not precipitate. The mixing ratio must be selected taking into account the pH and solubility of the raw materials used.

In addition, the present invention provides a soil conditioner for promoting plant growth and enhancing biomass, comprising as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed with Styrofoam.

The term 'soil conditioner' of the present invention refers to a substance used to increase productivity by improving the physical and chemical properties of the soil to suit plant growth, and the soil conditioner refers to the super mealworm fed with Styrofoam of the present invention. The black fecal extract can be used alone or mixed with one or more types selected from the group consisting of existing chemical fertilizers, bentonite, zeolite, vermiculite, ammonium, lime salt, rice straw, barley straw, and wild grass. However, it is not limited to this.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by examples. However, the following examples only illustrate the present invention, and the content of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Manufacturing example 1. Supermarket filled with Styrofoam Mealworms ( Zophobas morio )of black Preparation of fecal extract

After measuring the weight of the Styrofoam, it was placed in a plastic container along with super mealworms (purchased from Crazy Mealworms) and cultured for 1 week to 1 month. Among the cultured super mealworms, those with brown or black shells were selected and used in the experiment. At this time, the bottom of the plastic container was pierced and covered with wire mesh to allow excrement to escape. 5 g of plastic fragments and black excrement that escaped from the bottom of the plastic container were collected, placed in an Erlenmeyer flask with 100 ml of distilled water, and stirred in a shaker at 37°C. The excrement of super mealworms stirred for 10 days was then placed on filter paper ( A black excrement extract of super mealworm was prepared by filtering with filter paper; ADVANTEC No. 2), and the extract was freeze-dried to obtain a black powder.

Example 1. Promote the growth of lettuce and biomass Promotion effect analysis

Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ), a dicotyledonous plant, was used as a model plant to confirm the plant growth and biomass enhancement effects of black excrement extract from super mealworms fed with Styrofoam. Lettuce leaf width was measured using the paint.net program.

The fecal extract powder of the super mealworm obtained in Example 1 was added to MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium at various concentrations (0.02, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 g/L) to make a medium and solidify it, and the germinated lettuce were transferred to culture medium and cultured for 4 weeks. As a result, it was observed that the growth of lettuce was significantly increased on MS medium treated with super mealworm feces extract powder compared to MS medium (control) not treated with super mealworm feces extract powder (Figure 1A).

In addition, the leaf area and root length of lettuce increased in a concentration-dependent manner on MS medium treated with super mealworm fecal extract powder compared to MS medium without super mealworm fecal extract powder. In particular, the super mealworm fecal extract powder increased in a concentration-dependent manner. It was confirmed that the leaf area and root length of lettuce were significantly increased in MS medium treated at a concentration of 1.0 g/L (Figures 1B and 1C).

Example 2. Antioxidant activity analysis

Analyzing the antioxidant activity of super mealworm fecal extracts by measuring the ABTS (2,2'-Azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging ability and total phenol content of the black fecal extracts of super mealworms fed Styrofoam. did.

ABTS radical scavenging ability is obtained by adjusting the absorbance value of a sample (control) that was not treated with super mealworm fecal extract to 0.8 at 420 nm and then reacting 2 mg of super mealworm feces extract powder in 1 mL of ABTS solution for about a day to become colorless compared to the control. was measured, and as a result, it was confirmed that a colorless reaction of 39.6% occurred. Through this, it was found that the black excrement extract of super mealworms fed Styrofoam had radical scavenging ability.

In addition, the total phenol content in the super mealworm feces extract was determined by diluting 2 mg of super mealworm feces extract powder in 2.25 mL of distilled water, adding 0.25 mL of Folin-Ciocalteu Phenol Reagent, reacting at room temperature for 5 minutes, and adding 2.5 mL of 7% Na ₂ CO ₃ solution. The color reaction that occurred during the reaction at room temperature for at least 90 minutes was analyzed by measuring the absorbance at 550 nm. As a result of quantifying the total phenol content in the super mealworm excrement extract using gallic acid as a standard material, a significant phenol group content was found to be 97.6 ㎍ (GA equivalent).

Claims (6)

A leaf of lettuce containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of the super mealworm ( Zophobas morio ), which was prepared by adding water to the black excrement of the super mealworm ( Zophobas morio ) fed with expanded polystyrene, followed by stirring and filtering to obtain a filtrate. Composition for enhancing area and root length. delete A method for enhancing leaf area and root length of lettuce, comprising treating the composition of claim 1 to plants, plant seeds, or plant planting soil. Lettuce leaf area and root length containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms prepared by adding water to the black excrement of super mealworms fed with expanded polystyrene, followed by stirring and filtering to obtain a filtrate. Fertilizer composition for enhancement. The fertilizer composition for improving leaf area and root length of lettuce according to claim 4, wherein the fertilizer composition is formulated in the form of liquid, powder, pellets or granules. Lettuce leaf area and root length containing as an active ingredient the black excrement extract of super mealworms prepared by adding water to the black excrement of super mealworms fed with expanded polystyrene, followed by stirring and filtering to obtain a filtrate. Soil volume improver for strengthening.

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