Testing and Assessing Functionality of Keratin Hydrolysate with Agricultural Application on Wheat Seeds

This work aimed to obtain, characterize and evaluate keratin hydrolyzate with specific properties for applications in agriculture. The KerKAgr product, made by hydrolysing sheep wool with potassium hydroxide, was applied to wheat seeds. Physico-chemical analyses show that the keratin hydrolyzate obtained is rich in minerals, nitrogen and protein substances necessary in the plant growth process. Keratin hydrolyzate, KerKAgr, was used in treatments on Tamino and Mirastar wheat seeds, and the observations made showed an improvement in the germination rate and a stimulation of plant growth. KerKAgr 3% and 5% was used to treat wheat seeds and then germination and plant growth were monitored. The effect of keratin hydrolyzate was evaluated for 10 days on the two types of wheat (Tamino and Mirastar) treated with keratin hydrolyzate. The results of the treatments indicated an increased stimulation of seed germination by 10-20% compared to the control and a growth of wheat plants by 7.1-21.7% compared to the control. The biostimulating effect of keratin hydrolyzate has been highlighted. The good results obtained in the applications of keratin hydrolyzate in agriculture show that keratin hydrolyzate can be the basis for obtaining new biomaterials with various applications.