Liposomal Formulation of Botanical Extracts may Enhance Yield Triggering PR Genes and Phenylpropanoid Pathway in Barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Abstract

This work aimed to study the plant conditioning effect and mode of action of a plant-based biostimulant used in organic farming. This new generation plant biostimulant, named ELICE16INDURES®, is rich in plant bio-active ingredients containing eleven supercritical botanical extracts encapsulated in nano-scale liposomes. The dose–response (10 to 240 g ha−1) relationship was tested in a field population of autumn barley (Hordeum vulgare) test crop, and underlying molecular mechanisms were studied. Applying nanotechnology, cell-identical nanoparticles may help the better uptake and delivery of active ingredients increasing resilience, vitality, and crop yield. The amount of harvested crops showed a significant increase of 27.5% and 39.9% interconnected to higher normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of 20% and 25% after the treatment of low and high dosages (20 and 240 g ha−1), respectively. Illumina NextSeq 550 sequencing, gene expression profiling, and KEGG-pathway analysis of outstanding dosages indicated the upregulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) and other genes—associated with induced resistance—which showed dose dependency as well.