NUEVOS PRODUCTOS NATURALES PARA LA AGRICULTURA: LAS OLIGOSACARINAS.

Oligosaccharins are natural polysaccharides and oligosaccharides occurring as part of cell walls of plants and microorganisms such as fungi; however, main sources of raw materials for its large scale preparation are by products from agriculture and wasted crustacean exoskeletons from fishing industry. They have potential agricultural applications since they promote germination and plant growth, enhance crop yields and benefit symbiosis in leguminous. A great number of studies demonstrate crop protection by oligosaccharins against biotic and abiotic stress. Some oligosaccharins, such as chitosans, perform direct antimicrobial activity, this fact reinforce their application as protective agent of agricultural commodities quality. There are several international commercial products based on these macromolecules that bearing also, as an additional valor, the innocuous and biodegradable features of these compounds. The Group of Bioactive Products (GPB) from INCA has developed several oligosaccharins based products that constitute national alternatives to agro-products as plant growth regulators, enhancers of crop yields, plant protecting agents against biotic and abiotic stress and new type of biofertilizers for biological nitrogen fixation in leguminous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]