Marine Derived Chitin as a Promising Bio- Stimulant for Sustainable Agriculture

Chitin and chitosan are natural compounds that are biodegradable and nontoxic, have garnered significant attention for their positive impact on crop yield and agro-environmental sustainability. As sustainable agriculture becomes more imperative, biocontrol using natural compounds such as chitin, a carbohydrate chain polymer, and its derivatives, is a promising strategy. Chitin and its derivatives induce or enhance natural defensive mechanisms in plants. They are recognized as plant growth regulators, growth stimulants, and elicitors for the production of secondary metabolites. They have beneficial effects as fertilizers, soil conditioning agents, plant disease control agents, antitranspirants, ripening retardants, and seed and fruit coatings. Chitinous materials (chitin and its derivatives) are obtained from renewable sources, mainly shellfish waste, having a great potential for the development of bioproducts as alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals. Recent studies have provided evidence that the use of these biopolymers can help control postharvest diseases, increase the content of nutrients available to plants, and elicit positive metabolic changes that lead to higher plant resistance against pathogens. Hence, the present study was aimed to collect crustaceans from coastal region and chitin extraction. The extracted chitin is fortified with soil mixture as manure and subjected to detect the growth of plants such as okra and tomato. The formulation and application of Chitin manure to soil and Analysis of Plant Growth Parameters at different time intervals is recorded and the data interpretation carried out.