1. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 The INFLUENCE of FOLIAR FERTILIZERS OBTAINED by BIO-REFINING the PROTEIN BY-PRODUCTS from LEATHER INDUSTRY on DEVELOPMENT and YIELD of EGG PLANT CROPS Lăcătuş Victor 1, Luminiţa-Nicoleta Cârstea 1, Carmen Gaidau 2, Mihaela Niculescu 2, Emil Chiţu 3, Laurenţiu Filipescu 4 1) RDIVFG Vidra, 2) NRDITL Bucharest, 3) RDIFT Mărăcineni-Piteşti, 4) POLITEHNICA University Bucharest

2. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 I N T R O D U C T I O N Waste leather hydrolysates prove to be a valuable protein resource, possible to be converted to added value commercial products as soil amendments and plant fertilizers. Chromium free protein fluids with amino acids content were obtained by using chemical and chemical-enzymatic hydrolysis of the waste leather. These fluids could be used as good plants growth enhancers, if some proper foliar properties might be added on through mixing with other compound or foliar fertilizers.

3. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 Our previous papers illuminate some particular ways to convey to these hydrolysis products specific foliar properties as: low surface tension, moderate viscosity and capacity to dissolve the usual macro and micronutrients and to penetrate leaf cuticular membranes. Gaidau C, Ghiga M, Stepan E, Lacatus V, Cirjaliu-Murgea M, Ionita AD, Filipescu L, 2008, Emulsified foliar fluids from waste leather hydrolysis products, CEEX Conference 2008, Brasov, Research a way to E.R.A., editors: Nicolae Vasiliu and Lanyi Szabolcs, ISSN 1844-7090, Ed. Teh, Bucharest; Gaidau, C., Ghiga, M., Stepan, E., Taloi, D., Filipescu, L., 2009, Additives and advanced biomaterials obtained from leather industry by-products, Rev. Chimie (Bucharest), 60(5):501-507; Also, some papers about growth enhancing, biostimulation and fungicide capacities of the basic formulation on which waste leather hydrolisates were grafted have recently published: Chitu, V., Chitu, E., Marin, F.C., Ionita, A.D., Cirjaliu-Murgea, M. and Filipescu, L. 2010. Effects of foliar ecological products application on apple growth, yield and quality. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 868:409- 416; Chitu, V., Chitu, E., Nicolae, S., Ionita, A., Murgea Cîrjaliu, M., Filipescu, L., 2009. Relationships between shelf life, health and quality of apple fruit. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 825:539-546; This paper continue the above studies with the field test, on eggplant crops, for several formulations of foliar nutritive fluids in which growth enhancing functions are carried by amino acids and peptides available in chromium free waste leather hydrolysates.

4. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 P U R P O S E Successful chemical approach of the protein hydrolysates turn into suitable intermediate for foliar nutritive fluids production has to proceed with the field trial run and plant growth efficiency evaluation at least for some convenient formulations. This paper is reporting the studies undertaken for testing this new class of foliar nutrients through open field runs on egg plant species, according to customary and standard schemes accepted for the evaluation and homologation of the fertilizers and growth enhancers. There were tested three products coming from the mixing of leather hydrolysates with macro and micronutrients and respectively, with the potassium overbasic naphthenates expected to bring on the specific foliar properties.

5. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 FLOW CHART FOR OBTAINING THE BIOACTIVE PROTEIN ADDITIVES AND PROCESSING THE CHROMIUM SLUDGE Leather waste Alkaline agent Alkaline hydrolysis Collagen hydrolysate Chromium and protein sludge Filtering Chromium and protein sludge Protein hydrolysate Biofertilizers Foliar properties carrier

6. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 M A T E R I A LS and M E T H O D S Experimental Products formulation The best results concerning crop production were observed for three products particularly formulated by strengthening protein hydrolysate with urea and micronutrients (B, Zn, Cu, Mo) and blending with potassium overbasic naphthenate aqueous solutions. AMINOACIDS CONCENTRATION IN PROTEIN HYDROLYSATE*, % Glycine Aspartic acid Glutamic acid SerineHistidineTyrosineProline 0.320.0390.0430.0570.0230.240.33 * based on the total dermic substance

7. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 COMPOSITION OF THE FOLIAR PRODUCTS USED IN PLANT BIOFERTILIZATION Component V1- NUTRINAFT +AA V2- NUTRINAFT V3-AAV4 Overbasic potassium naphthenate-neutralized with formic acid, mol/l 0.66-- Control (water) Overbasic potassium naphthenate-neutralized with carbon dioxide, mol/l -0.8- CH, g/l 170.7-863.3 Urea, mol/l 2.22 2,632,25 MEA/TEA, mol/l 0.66 0.56 B, g/l 0.2 Zn, g/l 0.2 Cu, g/l 0.2 Mo, g/l 0.1

8. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 Experimental conditions applied on eggplant lots during 2007/2008 season Cultivar Planting out date Seedling age, days* Plants density, plants/m 2 Foliar treatment dates** Last harvest date LUIZA 09.05.2007/ 12.05.2008 203 20.05. 05.06. 20.06. 05.07. 04.10.2007/ 02.09.2008 *) Seedlings age: days from transplanting to planting in the field; **) Concentrated applied: 1 %. LOCATION: flat fields inside the Sabar river meadow, 60 – 70 m altitude, 44° 15.6' north latutude, 26° 10.2' east longitude, VIDRA, Ilfov, 11 km south of Bucharest, Romania. TYPE OF SOIL: mollic horizon of this area is made up by illuviated argilic chernozem soils, with loamy-clayey texture and moderately clay migration. SYSTEM OF IRRIGATION AND FERTILISATION: a Netafim dripping fertigation, 1.8 l/h, at 30 cm; SOIL FERTILITY STATUS: medium;

9. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 The influence of foliar treatments on the green mass accumulation In different part of the plant The dynamic of green mass accumulation NN+AA

10. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 The influence of foliar treatments on the rate of green mass accumulation

11. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 The influence of foliar treatments on dry substance accumulation In different part of the plant and in total The dynamic of the total dry mass accumulation rate AA

12. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR TREATMENTS ON THE HARVESTING DYNAMIC 2007 2008 Control

13. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR TREATMENTS ON YIELD EVOLUTION 2007 2008 NN

14. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010

15. RDIVFGVIDRA STATISTIC SEMNIFICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR TREATMENTS ON THE NUMBER OF MARKETABLE FRUITS

16. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 STATISTIC SEMNIFICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR TREATMENTS ON THE MEAN WEIGHT OF FRUITS

17. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 YIELD VARIATION DEPENDING OF YEAR FOLIAR APPLICATION, ON CONSTANT LEVELS OF APPLICATED PRODUCT

18. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 STATISTIC SEMNIFICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FOLIAR TREATMENTS ON PLANT YIELDS

19. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 C O N C L U S I O N S All formulated and tested foliar products from this study were efficient for egg plant crops No significant green mass difference among foliar treatments, has been identified The protein extract containing amino acids has a greater influence on the vegetative development of plants during the second part of vegetation Daily rate of green and dry mass accumulation decreased as follows: AA> NN+AA>NN Potassium overbasic naphthenate (NN) had a significant positiv effect on the fruit setting No significance were found between mean weight of fruits The highest yield was recorded at AA treatment, followed by the NN treatment The specific climate of the crop year had a quantitative influence of the plant response to foliar applied All the foliar containing amino acids originating from protein waste leather hydrolysis, or the emulsified potassium overbasic naphthenate, or a combination of these can be used as growth and development stimulators There is a profitable opportunity both for leather industry and vegetable production This innovative concept is a chance to turn back to the nature a waste, which otherwise will come down as a polluter

20. RDIVFGVIDRA 15 th WORLD FERTILIZER CONGRESS of the CIEC, Bucharest, ROMANIA, 29.08.-02.09.2010 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION Acknowledgment: The work was carried out with the financial support of CNCIS, Program Idei, project 1035/2007