The Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis. XXV. Plant and Algal Growth Responses to Glycopyranosides

Substituted glycopyranosides were applied to various plant species as foliar and root treatments, with and without nutrient supplements, and growth was compared to untreated or nutrient controls. When formulated with specific fertilizers, particularly available nitrogen, methyl and ethyl glycopyranosides significantly enhanced the overall growth of vascular plants compared to controls provided with the same nutrients. In contrast, vascular plants treated with alkylglycopyranosides without nutrients showed growth equivalent to that of untreated controls. Nitrogen-supplemented alkylglycopyranosides provided as foliar applications of 100 mM, or as root treatments between 35 and 50 mM, consistently enhanced root and shoot productivity. In addition to the vascular plant species tested, the brown alga Laminaria saccharina exhibited significant growth enhancement over nutrient controls when treated with alkylglycopyranosides supplemented with nutrients, especially under low irradiance. Overall, these results indicate that growth of photosynthetic organisms is enhanced by exogenous alkylglycopyranosides supplemented with nitrogen and micronutrients, but not by alkylglycopyranosides alone.