Foliar application of liquid biofertilizer of brown alga Stoechospermum marginatum on growth, biochemical and yield of Solanum melongena

Abstract

Background Seaweed extracts are used as nutrient supplements, biostimulants and or biofertilizers as an alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture. The study was set up to evaluate the biofertilizing efficiency of liquid extracts of brown marine alga Stoechospermum marginatum on growth, biochemical and yield of brinjal, a vegetable crop. To achieve the objectives, liquid extracts at different concentrations were prepared and applied as foliar spray on the brinjal seedlings raised in experimental pots maintained under natural conditions. Results After 30 and 180 days, the growth and biochemical parameters and yield attributes were monitored, respectively. The results exhibited that shoot and root length, total fresh and dry weight, leaf area and the content of moisture, photosynthetic pigments, protein, amino acids, reducing sugar, ascorbic acid and nitrate reductase activity were found to be enhanced in the leaves of brinjal plants which received 1.5 % of Stoechospermum marginatum extracts. Similarly, number of fruits and fruit weight were also increased at lower concentration only (1.5 %). In contrast, liquid extracts at high concentration (5 %) was found to have inhibitory effect on brinjal plants as compared to the control sprayed with water. Conclusions The study evidence that lower concentrations were found to show promoting effect on growth and productivity of brinjal plants. The fertilizing efficiency of liquid extracts of testing marine alga might me due to the presence of micro and macro nutrients, growth hormones and vitamins at preferential levels. It can be concluded that seaweed extracts could be used as eco-friendly liquid biofertilizer to substitute chemical fertilizer and also play a pivotal role in organic farming practices toward sustainable agriculture.

Biomass and physiology of papaya seedlings produced under leaf fertilization with Spirulina platensis

“…A study carried out with Solanum melongena demonstrated divergent results, where the foliar application of Marginatum stoechospermum shows that the concentration of 1.5% provides increased growth, biochemistry and yield parameters in eggplant due to the presence of elements such as macronutrients and micronutrients, growth hormones, oligoelements and vitamins (Ramya et al, 2015).…”

The Potentiality of Marine Macro-Algae as Bio-Fertilizers to Improve the Productivity and Salt Stress Tolerance of Canola (Brassica napus L.) Plants

“…Seaweed treatment tended to alleviate the inhibitory effect of up to 150 mM NaCl on canola yield. High productivity in response to the treatment with seaweeds was indicated in many plants, such as tomato, chili [34], maize [36], and brinjal [37].…”

“…Only U. Lactuca completely alleviated the inhibitory effect of high salt levels on canola plants' endogenous cytokinins content. Cytokinin is a fundamental growth boosting element in chlorophyll biosynthesis and it plays a role in plant growth enhancement [37]. This could explain the higher efficiency of U. lactuca treatment as a bio-stimulant of growth and the chlorophylls' content in canola plants under normal and stress conditions compared to other algal treatments.…”

Seaweed extracts’ multifactorial action: influence on physiological and biochemical status of Solanaceae plants

“…SWE had a significant effect on the earliness of flowering, number of flowers, and fruit set percentage in eggplant. Abundant flowering could be the effect of increased vigor of plants [40,54]. SWE foliar spraying increased fruit number and weight of bell pepper [34,52].…”