Preparation of Pectin Nanospheres and Its Effect on Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seed Germination and Growth

Pectin is a natural anionic polysaccharide, which is of great significance in agricultural applications, but its solubility in water limits its application. Pectin nanospheres can improve the dispersion of pectin in water. This work is to study the effects of pectin nanospheres on wheat germination and seedling growth. The pectin nanospheres were synthesized by ionotropic gelation. Meanwhile, the morphology of pectin nanospheres and the attachment on the surface of wheat seeds coat were characterized. The different concentrations (50, 100, 500 mu g/mL) of pectin nanospheres were used to research the impact of wheat seed germination. In the concentration of 50 mu g/mL pectin nanospheres treatment groups, the germination rate and seedling index got a 15.6% and 13.9% increase, respectively. The germination index increased by 22.1%, fresh weight of the aboveground part and underground part, respectively, increased by 26.7% and 17.3%, dry weight of the aboveground part and underground part, respectively, increased by 9.65% and 9.97%, and number of adventitious roots and the length of seedlings went up by 36.6% and 20.1%, respectively. Moreover, in seedlings stage the 100 mu g/mL promoted the net photosynthetic rate of wheat by 60.2% and uptake of nutrient. In addition, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the adsorption of pectin nanospheres on the surface of wheat seeds.