Exploring the potential of immobilized phytase to enhance phosphorus uptake by Catharanthus roseus

The current study was designed to establish stable phytases, using poly-(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydro -gels as an entrapment matrix, for their application in the promotion of plant growth. Different production parameters were optimized to gain the maximum enzyme yield of 14.3 +/- 0.41 U/g and a protein content of 0.7 +/- 0.03 mg/ml from Rhizopus oligosporus under solid-state fermentation. For plants, phytase is a source of phosphorus, an essential nutrient for their growth. The study outlined the standardized conditions for the physical entrapment of phytase within polyhydrogel as; 1.5 ml APS, 0.25 ml enzyme, and a 12-minute pro-curement period. Moreover, the optimal temperature and pH for the partially purified immobilized enzyme were recorded as 50 degrees C and 7.5, respectively, under the optimized conditions. The immobilized enzyme has shown enhanced stability over the free enzyme at 70 degrees C and a wide pH range. During the study, the maxi-mum enzyme activity achieved by partially purified free and immobilized phytase was 7.65 +/- 0.43 and 9.12 +/- 0.28 U/g. Furthermore, the characterization of the poly-hydrogel revealed that it contains a rough and porous 3-D structure, with abundant cross-linking channels. In a pot experiment, phytase-entrapped poly-(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel was applied to the soil and displayed a positive impact upon different growth parameters as well as phosphorus content of the C. roseus than free enzyme and control groups. The phosphorus-status of the soil having entrapped phytase, increased up to 1.69 and 2.17-fold compared to the plants of free enzyme and control. The study has shown that immobilized phytase was effective to deliver phytate-P to Catharanthus roseus as it significantly increased its rate of photosynthesis (25.9 +/- 1.4 m mol m-2 s-1), shoot length (36.1 +/- 1.3 cm), and leaf chlorophyll content (56.7 +/- 2.8) as compared to the other experimental groups. Overall, the work declares the considerable potential of phytases in phosphorus uptake and plant growth-promoting activities.(c) 2023 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.