Azospirillum brasilense AbV5/6 encapsulation in dual-crosslinked beads based on cationic starch.

The main challenge of agriculture is feeding the growing population and at the same time providing environmental sustainability. Using Azospirillum brasilense as a biofertilizer has proved to be a promising solution. However, its prevalence in soil has not been efficient due to biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, to overcome this drawback, we encapsulated the A. brasilense AbV5 and AbV6 strains in a dual-crosslinked bead based on cationic starch. The starch was previously modified with ethylenediamine by an alkylation approach. Then, the beads were obtained by a dripping technique, crosslinking sodium tripolyphosphate with a blend containing starch, cationic starch, and chitosan. The AbV5/6 strains were encapsulated into the hydrogel beads by a swelling diffusion method followed by desiccation. Plants treated with encapsulated AbV5/6 cells showed an increase in the root length by 19 %, shoot fresh weight by 17 %, and the content of chlorophyll b by 71 %. The encapsulation of AbV5/6 strains showed to keep A. brasilense viability for at least 60 days and efficiency to promote maize growth.