Compositions and Methods Using Pectin-Utilizing Probiotics for Enhancing Plant and Animal Growth and Health

Background

The field of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has garnered significant attention in sustainable agriculture due to its potential to enhance plant health, increase crop yields, and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. PGPR are beneficial bacteria that colonize plant roots, facilitating nutrient uptake, stimulating plant growth, and providing biological control against soil-borne pathogens. In addition to their role in plant systems, certain PGPR strains are used as probiotics in animal agriculture, where they contribute to improved gut health, feed conversion, and disease resistance in livestock and aquaculture. As global food demand rises and environmental concerns over agrochemical use intensify, there is a pressing need for more effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly biological solutions to support both plant and animal productivity.

Despite the promise of PGPR-based products, their widespread adoption has been limited by several challenges associated with current approaches. One major issue is the inconsistent performance of PGPR inoculants in field conditions, often due to poor colonization and persistence of the bacteria in the plant rhizosphere or animal gut. Environmental stresses, competition with native microbes, and inadequate formulation strategies can all reduce the efficacy of these biological agents. Additionally, many commercial PGPR products lack specificity in strain selection or fail to provide the necessary substrates that support bacterial survival and activity. As a result, the beneficial effects observed in controlled laboratory or greenhouse settings often fail to translate to consistent results in real-world agricultural environments, limiting the impact and scalability of PGPR technologies.

Technology

This technology integrates specific plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), particularly Bacillus velezensis strains, with pectin or pectin-related saccharides to create a synergistic solution for enhancing plant and animal health. The selected PGPR strains are genetically equipped to metabolize pectin-derived sugars, which enables them to better colonize and persist in the plant rhizosphere or animal gut. The formulation can be applied as seed coatings, soil amendments, foliar sprays, or animal feed additives. In plants, this approach leads to improved growth, increased nodulation in legumes, and enhanced biocontrol of pests and pathogens. In animals, especially in aquaculture, the combination acts as a synbiotic—pairing a probiotic (the Bacillus strain) with a prebiotic (pectin)—to boost gut health, growth, feed conversion, and disease resistance.

What differentiates this technology is its genomically informed design, leveraging the unique metabolic pathways of Bacillus velezensis strains that allow efficient utilization of pectin-derived sugars. This targeted supplementation not only improves the persistence and efficacy of the beneficial bacteria but also amplifies their plant growth-promoting and biocontrol activities. Experimental data demonstrate that the synergy between PGPR and pectin leads to significantly greater plant biomass, root nodulation, and pathogen suppression compared to either component alone. In animal applications, the approach improves nutrient retention and reduces environmental impacts, such as pond nutrient loads in aquaculture. The versatility of application methods and the broad spectrum of benefits across both plant and animal systems set this technology apart from conventional microbial inoculants or single-component treatments.

Benefits

• Enhanced colonization and persistence of beneficial Bacillus velezensis strains in plant rhizosphere and animal gut through pectin metabolism.
• Improved plant growth, including increased shoot and root biomass and enhanced nodulation in legumes.
• Effective biocontrol of plant pests and pathogens via increased production of antimicrobial compounds.
• Versatile application methods including seed coatings, soil amendments, foliar sprays, and animal feed additives.
• Improved animal health, growth, feed conversion, and disease resistance, especially in aquaculture species.
• Reduction in reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture.
• Adaptability to a wide range of crops and animal species, supporting broad agricultural and aquaculture use.

Applications

• Enhanced seed coating for crops
• Soil amendment for plant growth
• Biocontrol of plant pathogens
• Animal feed additive for livestock
• Aquaculture probiotic feed supplement

Additional info

This technology combines specific *Bacillus velezensis* strains with pectin or related saccharides. These bacteria metabolize pectin-derived sugars, enhancing their colonization and persistence in plant rhizospheres or animal guts. Applied as seed coatings, soil amendments, or feed additives, this synergistic composition promotes superior plant growth, nodulation, and biocontrol, while improving animal health, growth, and feed conversion.