NMR analysis of fractionated irradiated -carrageenan oligomers as plant growth promoter

Abad, L.*; Saiki, Seiichi; Nagasawa, Naotsugu; Kudo, Hisaaki*; Katsumura, Yosuke*; Dela Rosa, A. M.*

The optimum molecular weight of irradiated -carrageenan for the plant growth promoting effect is known to be around 10 kDa, which is obtained by irradiation at doses of 100 kGy in solid and of 2 kGy in 1% aqueous solution. In this study, isolated fraction by membrane filter of irradiated -carrageenan was analyzed by NMR. The chemical shifts of C and H spectra at the range of 3-10 kDa indicated that the basic functional structure of -carrageenan (alternating D-galactose-4-sulfate and 3,6-anhydro-D-galactose dimer) remains intact. No radiolytic product having carbonyl groups was detected at the range of 3-10 kDa, and moved to less than 3 kDa probably. From these results, it is assumed that the plant growth promoting effect of irradiated -carrageenan depends on the molecular weight, its intact structure, and not on the radiolytic products.