Increasing Wheat Productivity and Disease Resistance through Combined Use of Polymer Hydrogel and Protein Hydrolysates with Varied Composition and Molecular Weight

This study explores the effectiveness of protein hydrolysates derived from by-products of farm animal processing. In previous research, we utilized protein hydrolysates with amino acids rich in glycine and with peptides of molecular weight ranging from 200 to 1000 Da. Subsequently, we modified the production process, resulting in a new hydrolysate from by-products of meat, chicken, and fish processing, with a molecular weight of 700,000 Da. During the period 2021–2022, we conducted a comparative analysis of protein hydrolysates of diverse nature, both independently and as components of multifunctional compositions with acrylic hydrogel. This analysis focused on their impact on productivity metrics and plant disease severity. Our experimental approach involved pre-soaking wheat seeds in the new protein hydrolysate before sowing while introducing acrylic hydrogel into the soil at rates of 6 g/m2 or 60 kg/ha. This regimen led to a remarkable increase in wheat yield (73.3% higher than the control group). The improvement was attributed to a boost in the field germination of wheat seeds by 21.9%, an elevation in plant height by 17.0%, an increment in the number of spikelets per spike by 7.8%, an enlargement of the pre-flag leaf area by 36.0%, and a reduction in the incidence of critical diseases such as brown rust (21.7%), yellow rust (28.3%), and root rot (5.6%). Our findings underscore the influence of hydrolysate molecular weight and the composition of acrylic hydrogels on their efficacy. Furthermore, these factors contribute to the economic viability of their application in wheat cultivation.