Fruitonic Vita – The multi-vitamins of your crops.
Primary sector has faced remarkable challenges in the recent decades. Issues such as climate change, changes in dietary habits and the rapid growth of the world’s population. Those challenges led to the immediate need for sustainable practices in the agricultural practices.
Agrology, responding to these challenges, advances to the next step of specialized plant nutrition, introducing the term Functional Plant Nutrition. The main objective of developing strategies to increase production through the optimal utilization of the necessary nutrients and Beneficial Components from plants, such as, for example, the vitamins.
Agrology’s new Fruitonic® product line features Bio activators based on 20 plant free L-amino acids, oligopeptides, and proteins, and at the same time, enhanced with organic bioactive ingredients and/or selected trace elements. The Fruitonic Vita is a solution of high concentrated free L-amino acids and peptides of plant origin, reinforced with a complex of 3 plant vitamins, B1, B2 and C. Fruitonic Vita is an ideal product at any vegetative stage to increase the yield of crops and improve the quality of products.
Even plants need their vitamins.
The term “vitamin” was invented by Casimir Funk, in 1912, who isolated thiamine (Vitamin B1) from rice husks. Vitamins are compounds that are not synthesized by animal organisms and are obtained through diet. Vitamin deficiency causes diseases that can be serious, even fatal. Vitamin deficiency disorders include blindness (vitamin A), anemia (vitamin B6), scurvy (vitamin C), etc.
However, plant vitamins and their importance are often overlooked. Plants do not actually synthesize vitamins for the benefit of animal organisms, but because these compounds play an essential role in the metabolism of the plants themselves.
Vitamins are a distinct group of organic molecules, most of which are not actually amines. Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, E and K) provide significant antioxidant activity in plants. More recent evidence suggests that vitamin B compounds also play an important role as antioxidants in plants. Water-soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) or compounds derived from them, act mainly as enzyme agents, and provide plants with metabolic processes that cannot be provided by amino acids. In some cases, a vitamin has one or very specific roles, such as biotin (vitamin B7), while other vitamins have multiple roles.
Plant vitamins are their main metabolites but usually their composition is in small amounts, making their study difficult. The study of vitamin biosynthesis in plants at the molecular level has only begun in the last decade. The reason is the raise of interest in increasing the levels of plant vitamins, which will also lead to an enhancement of their nutritional value.
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) – The key vitamin for plant growth and resistance to abiotic stresses
Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is one of the most abundant and frequently occurring water-soluble antioxidants in plant and animal organisms. It is one of the most extensively studied antioxidants that has been detected in most plant cells and organelles.
The notorious human disease ‘’scurvy’’ is one of the manifestations of vitamin C deficiency in the human body. As plant foods are the main source of ascorbic acid in the human diet, the possibility of increasing the content of ascorbic acid in plants contributes to improving their nutritional value. Main sources of vitamin C are vegetables and fruits.
In plants, vitamin C serves as the main regulator of redox. Thus, it affects various physiological processes that control plant growth, metabolism and resistance to abiotic stresses. Vitamin C plays multiple roles in plant growth, such as cell division, cell wall elongation, and other plant developmental processes. It also works in combination with other antioxidants to neutralize oxygen free radicals produced in plant respiration. In addition, the application of exogenous vitamin C increases the resistance of plants to salinity stress while also reducing oxidative stress.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – The unknown Vitamin that affects the nervous system
Thiamine or vitamin B1 is an essential nutritional component. Its lack is the basis of many diseases, especially disorders of the nervous system. In particular, vitamin B1 is essential for the enzymes of glucose metabolism in the brain. Glucose is correspondingly necessary for the efficient functioning of neurons and brain cells. Plant-based foods, such as legumes, grains and nuts is predominant source of vitamin B1.
Vitamin B1 is also vital for plants themselves, and its benefits to plant health have so far received limited attention in relation to the field of human health. The role of vitamin B1 as a co-enzyme in metabolic pathways is crucial. Particularly those involved in energy production and central plant metabolism, including carbon assimilation, glycolysis, and respiration. Vitamin B1 is also an important component for improving plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. The role of Vitamin B1 in the resistance of plants to diseases as well as in the improvement of crop yields is also important.
Based on the above-mentioned, the benefits of fortifying crops with increased Vitamin B1 content are evident for improving human health.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – The main Vitamin of Simplex B.
Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is one of the eight vitamins of Simplex B, which helps the body convert carbohydrates into glucose to produce energy, but also contributes to fat and protein metabolism. Vitamins of Simplex B are necessary for a healthy liver, skin, hair, and eyes. Finally, Vitamin B2 contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system. Main sources of Vitamin B2 are cereals, nuts, beans, and some vegetables.
In plants, riboflavin is primarily important as an antioxidant, as it generally stimulates the production of antioxidant components in plant cells. In addition, compounds derived from riboflavin are essential for many enzymes, reducing harmful components for plants, such as hydrogen peroxide. Riboflavin also exhibits a function of faster and stronger activation of plant defense mechanisms against stress conditions. For example, the ability of riboflavin to counteract drought stress has already been described for tobacco plants. Finally, riboflavin is an antioxidant for plants and like other antioxidants, riboflavin confers resistance to plant diseases. Consequently, these characteristics are consistent with the idea that riboflavin may indeed play a role in plant disease resistance.
Amino Acids – Foundations of Total Plant Performance.
The importance of amino acids in plant growth and stress tolerance has become increasingly evident, as they are the “raw materials” for the synthesis of the plant’s basic structural proteins. They affect numerous physiological processes due to their participation, as metabolites, in the regulation of multiple physiological and biochemical pathways of the plant organism. Amino acids produced by enzymatic hydrolysis have a left-handed orientation and are called L-amino acids, and this form is the only one digestible by plants.
The use of amino acids is indicated in crucial stages in the development of the crop. Such as the formation of inflorescences, fruit set, growth and development of the fruit as well as in situations of intense abiotic and biotic stress.
Using amino acids achieves:
- Improving the plant’s resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
- Increase fruit set and overall yield production.
- Improvement of the organoleptic characteristics of the fruit.
- Saving energy from the plant.
- Improving the development of the root system.
- Enhancement of chlorophyll synthesis which improves the photosynthetic capacity of the plant.
WHY Fruitonic Vita
- Unique combination of free L-amino acids and 3 plant vitamins.
- 20 different L-amino acids (counter-clockwise), immediately digestible by plants.
- Enzymatically hydrolyzed proteins of plant origin.
- Promotes the production of proteins, enzymes, and hormones.
- Fruitonic Vita increases the resistance of plants to stressful conditions (frost, dry heat conditions, etc.).
- Vit C, Vit B1, Vit B2 – Stimulate strong antioxidant action.
- Vit C, Vit B1, Vit B2 – Increase cell divisions and elongation of cell walls.
- Compatible with Organic Farming
Fruitonic Vita is the ideal product at any vegetative stage for most crops when you aim in increasing the yield and improving the quality of the products.
Bibliography
Asensi-Fabado, M. A., & Munné-Bosch, S. (2010). Vitamins in plants: occurrence, biosynthesis and antioxidant function. Trends in plant science, 15(10), 582-592.
D’Mello, J. F. (Ed.). (2015). Amino acids in higher plants. CABI.
Dolatabadian, A., Sanavy, S. M., & Chashmi, N. A. (2008). The effects of foliar application of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on antioxidant enzymes activities, lipid peroxidation and proline accumulation of canola (Brassica napus L.) under conditions of salt stress. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 194(3), 206-213.
Dong, H., & Beer, S. V. (2000). Riboflavin induces disease resistance in plants by activating a novel signal transduction pathway. Phytopathology, 90(8), 801-811.
Fitzpatrick, T. B., & Chapman, L. M. (2020). The importance of thiamine (vitamin B1) in plant health: From crop yield to biofortification. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 295(34), 12002-12013.
Goyer, A. (2010). Thiamine in plants: aspects of its metabolism and functions. Phytochemistry, 71(14-15), 1615-1624.
Guhr, A., Horn, M. A., & Weig, A. R. (2017). Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) increases drought tolerance of Agaricus bisporus. Mycologia, 109(6), 860-873.
Hossain, M. A., Munné-Bosch, S., Burritt, D. J., Diaz-Vivancos, P., Fujita, M., & Lorence, A. (Eds.). (2017). Ascorbic acid in plant growth, development and stress tolerance (p. 514). Basel, Switzerland:: Springer International Publishing.
Kaya, C., Ashraf, M., Sonmez, O., Tuna, A. L., Polat, T., & Aydemir, S. (2015). Exogenous application of thiamin promotes growth and antioxidative defense system at initial phases of development in salt-stressed plants of two maize cultivars differing in salinity tolerance. Acta physiologiae plantarum, 37(1), 1-12.
Smith, A. G., Croft, M. T., Moulin, M., & Webb, M. E. (2007). Plants need their vitamins too. Current opinion in plant biology, 10(3), 266-275.