A preliminary study on L-asparaginase from mangrove detritus-derived fungi and its application in plant growth promotion

Abstract

L-asparaginase enzyme has wide applications in medicine, food industry and developing biosensors. The present study was carried out to investigate the plant growth-promoting characteristics of L-asparaginase, an aspect that is poorly studied. Two filamentous fungi, Peroneutypa sp. GU-S and Lecanicillium sp. GU-G, derived from mangrove detritus in Goa, India, produced L-asparaginase enzyme in laboratory conditions which was active at room temperature, and 37 degrees C. A higher amount of enzyme was produced under aeration than without aeration. The optimum pH for asparaginase activity was 8. The enzyme isolated from Peroneutypa sp. GU-S was more stable at lower pH 4, and thus further processed. The enzyme was produced using economical sources, i.e., powdered soya and grass by solid-state fermentation. Germinating seeds of pea, Pisum sativum inoculated with crude enzyme extract produced a better quality of seedlings than the seedlings from un-inoculated seeds. The shoot and the root length were 1.2 and 2.2 times greater in the test than in control plants, within twenty days of incubation. This study demonstrates plant growth-promoting ability of the Lasparaginase, which can be further studied on other plants.