Can chitin from crustacean shells help seeds sprout? What a small 2013 test found
Chitin, from the shells of prawns, crabs and crayfish, is being studied as a natural aid for crops. A small 2013 lab test co-authored by Dr. Abhishek Mathur soaked mung bean seeds in shell powder, chitin and chitosan. Here is what it found, why it is not proof, and how to check your own seed before sowing.
Key points
- Researchers soaked mung bean seeds in crustacean-shell powder, chitin and chitosan, and counted how many sprouted over four days.
- Seeds soaked in shell powder or pure chitin sprouted best: 50%, against 17% of untreated seeds. Chitosan made in the lab did no better than untreated seed.
- The test was very small, with no repeats or statistics, and only 17% of untreated seeds sprouted, which is low for mung bean.
- It is an early lab test, not proof that chitin works as a seed treatment.
- What to do: buy certified seed, test germination yourself before sowing, and treat seed only with recommended products.
Chitin and chitosan in brief
Chitin is a natural fibre that forms the shells of prawns, crabs and crayfish, the outer skin of insects, and the cell walls of fungi. Chitosan is made from chitin by treating it with strong alkali. Both are studied as natural aids for crops, because plants can sense them and respond. We explain chitosan and its use on crops in Chitosan for crops; this note looks at one early test on seeds.
What the researchers tested
The study was published in 2013 in Recent Research in Science and Technology. Its authors are Junaid Alam of CMJ University, Shillong; Akhilesh Kushwaha of the Institute of Transgene Life Sciences, Lucknow; and Dr. Abhishek Mathur, then at the R&D department of Sheetal Life Sciences, Dehradun. Dr. Mathur was the third author.
- Collected shell waste of freshwater crustaceans around Dehradun and Rishikesh, then washed, dried and powdered it.
- Purified chitin from the powder by removing its minerals, proteins and fats.
- Made chitosan by heating the chitin in strong caustic soda.
- Soaked mung bean seeds in each product (shell powder, their own chitin and chitosan, and pure chitin and chitosan bought from a lab supplier), with untreated seeds for comparison.
- Counted sprouting on wet cotton in dishes from 18 to 96 hours.
What they found
Shell powder and pure chitin gave the most sprouting. After four days, 50% of these seeds had sprouted, against 17% of untreated seeds. Pure chitin was also the fastest, reaching 50% within a day. The researchers' own chitin and the bought chitosan reached 33%. Their own chitosan was the weakest: no seed sprouted in the first day, and it ended level with untreated seed.
In simple words: shell powder and pure chitin seemed to help the seeds sprout, and home-made chitosan did not. But with so few seeds, one or two seeds more or less changes these numbers a lot.
What this study does not tell us
- Very few seeds. Every figure is a step of about 17%, which suggests about six seeds per dish (our reading; the paper does not say). One extra seed sprouting moves the result by 17 points.
- No repeats and no statistics, so we cannot tell whether the differences are real or chance.
- Low baseline. Only 17% of untreated seeds sprouted. Certified green gram seed in India must reach at least 75%, so the seed lot or test conditions may have been unusual.
- Different soaking liquids. The products were dissolved in dilute caustic soda, which the untreated seeds did not get, so the liquid itself may have affected sprouting.
- Sprouting only: no seedling growth, field emergence or yield was measured. The paper's conclusion that these products can act as growth boosters in fields goes beyond what a dish test can show.
The authors themselves say further studies are needed. Read it as an early pointer that chitin is worth testing on seeds, not as a recommendation.
How to check your seed before sowing
- Buy certified or labelled seed from a licensed dealer, and keep the bill and the seed tag.
- Do a simple germination test. Take 100 seeds at random, lay them in rows on a wet cloth or thick paper, roll it up loosely and keep it moist in the shade.
- Count after about a week. The number of healthy sprouts out of 100 is your germination percentage. For green gram, fewer than 75 is below the certified-seed standard.
- Adjust or replace. If germination is low, raise your seed rate or change the seed lot, and tell your dealer if certified seed fails.
- Treat seed only as recommended. For pulses this usually means Rhizobium culture and, where advised, Trichoderma. Ask your KVK before trying anything new.
What comes next
Chitin and chitosan seed treatments are being studied more widely, with larger tests and different crops. Until those results are clear, good seed and a simple germination test matter far more than any seed coating. NanoKheti does not sell a chitin or chitosan seed treatment.
