Seaweed -An Eco-friendly Alternative of Agrochemicals in Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture demands the use of our natural resources to enhance production and productivity without depleting the natural base along with a vision to preserve them for our future generation. The effect of modern agriculture driven by agrochemicals has raised serious concern about the health and wellbeing of our environment and humans as well. The growth of the population and shrinking resources has created the need for searching new technology and resources to balance between feeding and preserving the environment. Researchers are nowadays more focussed towards trying and testing new products to reduce our dependency on agrochemicals. Among the various alternatives, Seaweed has drawn the attention of many researchers due to its unique properties and abundant availability. They are nowadays used to increase the yield by enhancing the nutrient uptake by the plant. This can reduce excessive fertilizer application for yield enhancement. Seaweed extracts are also showing effective response against various pest and diseases. This property can also play a very important role in reducing our dependency on harmful chemicals for pest control. Review Article Mishra et al.; CJAST, 39(27): 71-78, 2020; Article no.CJAST.60131 72

Full text

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Corresponding author: E-mail: sangitampp@gmail.com;
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology
39(27): 71-78, 2020; Article no.CJAST.60131
ISSN: 2457-1024
(Past name:
British Journal of Applied Science & Technology,
Past
ISSN: 2231-0843,
NLM ID: 101664541)
Seaweed - An Eco-friendly Alternative of
Agrochemicals in Sustainable Agriculture
Abhay Mishra
1
, Sangita Sahni
1*
, Sanjeev Kumar
1
and Bishun Deo Prasad
2
1
Department of Plant Pathology, Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Muzaffarpur - 843 121,
RPCAU, Pusa, Bihar, India.
2
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, BAU, Sabour,
Bhagalpur - 813210, Bihar, India.
Authors’ contributions
This work was carried out in collaboration among all authors. Authors AM and SS designed the study,
wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All Authors managed the literature
searches. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Article Information
DOI: 10.9734/CJAST/2020/v39i2730921
Editor(s):
(1) Dr. Alessandro Buccolieri, Università del Salento, Italy.
Reviewers:
(1) Ida Nur Istina, Indonesia.
(2)
Artemio Cruz León, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, México.
Complete Peer review History:
http://www.sdiarticle4.com/review-history/60131
Received 20 June 2020
Accepted 25 August 2020
Published 09 September 2020
ABSTRACT
Sustainable agriculture demands the use of our natural resources to enhance production and
productivity without depleting the natural base along with a vision to preserve them for our future
generation. The effect of modern agriculture driven by agrochemicals has raised serious concern
about the health and wellbeing of our environment and humans as well. The growth of the
population and shrinking resources has created the need for searching new technology and
resources to balance between feeding and preserving the environment. Researchers are nowadays
more focussed towards trying and testing new products to reduce our dependency on
agrochemicals. Among the various alternatives, Seaweed has drawn the attention of many
researchers due to its unique properties and abundant availability. They are nowadays used to
increase the yield by enhancing the nutrient uptake by the plant. This can reduce excessive fertilizer
application for yield enhancement. Seaweed extracts are also showing effective response against
various pest and diseases. This property can also play a very important role in reducing our
dependency on harmful chemicals for pest control.
Review Article

Mishra et al.; CJAST, 39(27): 71-78, 2020; Article no.CJAST.60131
72
Keywords: Sustainable agriculture; seaweed; polysaccharides.
1. INTRODUCTION
The use of seaweed extract is increasing due to
its potential use in sustainable agriculture [1],
especially in rainfed crops to avoid excessive
fertilizer. Seaweed extract is currently used in
organic farming to reduce excessive application
of fertilizers and improve nutrient uptake through
roots or leaves of the plant [2]. Use of seaweed
extract in many crops has increased various
parameters such as yield and tolerance to
environmental stress [3], nutrient uptake [4] and
antioxidant properties [5]. Seaweed extract
increases stomata uptake efficiency in plants [6].
Ethanol extract of Chaetomorpha aerea exhibited
good antibacterial property against various gram
positive and gram negative bacteria in laboratory
condition [7]. Foliar spray of seaweed extract has
shown its ability against phytopathogenic fungi
[8] [9]. Polysaccharides obtained from seaweeds
are known for their excellent water holding
capacity and hence find extensive application in
food industries as gelling and thickening agents.
Carrageenan, a hydrocolloid extracted mainly
from Eucheuma spp. and Kappaphycus spp. is
widely used in dairy and chocolate industries due
to its ability to bind proteins efficiently in the
suspension and prevent fractionation of milk
protein. Bromophenol extracted from marine
algae Symphyocladia latiuscula have been
reported to exhibit antioxidant property [10].
Agar-agar extracted from red algae is widely
used in laboratories for culturing microorganism.
There are lots of uses of seaweed, however, in
this review we present an overview related to
role of seaweed in increasing yield and other
parameters of crops so that it can be utilised
efficiently in sustainable agriculture.
2. SEAWEED CHARACTERISTICS
Seaweeds or marine macro-algae represent a
diverse group of plant-like organism which lack
real root system and vascular system as found in
flowering plants but are capable of performing
photosynthesis due to variety of pigments
present in them. Generally they have specialised
structures (holdfast) that help them to attach on
the rocks or other hard substances in the coastal
areas. Most of the seaweeds come from three
importance division based on the dominant
pigment present in them and their ability to
absorb a particular wavelength of light. The
Rhodophyta (red algae), the Chlorophyta (green
algae) and the Phaeophyta (brown algae) are the
three groups of algae classified under the
kingdom Protista. Among these, the members of
red algae and brown algae are generally found in
marine environment while only 10% of the total
reported green algae in marine environment. The
study of algae is called Phycology.
Seaweeds are known to synthesize a large
number of polysaccharides which either form an
integral component of their cell wall or a reserve
food material in them. These polysaccharides
have been reported to containing anti-cancer
[14], anticoagulant [15], antidiabetic [16], anti-
inflammatory [17] and antimicrobial [18] property.
Due to its increasing demand in food industry,
cosmetic industry and pharmaceutical industry,
they are often regarded as wonder plants of the
sea. Till now the major use of seaweed has been
in food industry. Of the total reported seaweeds;
221 are economically important seaweed out of
which, 145 species are used for food and 110
species for phycocolloid production.
Table 1. Algae classification and characteristics
Classes Major pigment Reserve food
material
Cell wall
composition
Example
Rhodophyta
(Red algae)
Chlorophyll a, d,
Phycoerythrin
Floridean
starch,
Floridoside
Cellulose, Pectin and
Polysulphate easters
such as agar and
carraggenan
Porphyra, Gracilaria
and Gelidium
Phaeophyta
(Brown algae)
Chlorophyll a, c
and fucoxanthin
Mannintol,
Laminarin
Cellulose and algin Dictyota, Laminaria
and Sargassum
Chlorophyta
(Green algae)
Chlorophyll a and
b
Starch Cellulose Chlamydomonas,
Spirogyra and Chara
- [11] [12] [13]

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3. USE OF SEAWEED IN AGRICULTURE
The use of seaweeds in agriculture as soil
amendment to increase crop productivity dates
back to antiquity [19]. However, the first mention
of its recommendation on transplanting cabbage
dates back to 1
st
half of 1
st
century [20]. The liquid
formulation of seaweed extract was introduced in
1950 but it took almost ten years to become a
practice in agriculture due to the conventional
belief that plants take nutrients only through roots
and not through leaves. With the advancement
in our understanding of plant physiology, the use
of seaweed extract is increasing day by day on
plants to improve the production and productivity
without harming the environment. In recent time,
biostimulants are gaining wordwide popularity in
sustainable agriculture [21]. Different
commercial products are available in the market
containing seaweeds extracts in a particular
proportion. Brown algae, especially Ascophyllum
nodosum, are most commonly used in agriculture
[22].
According to ‘European Biostimulant Industry
Council’ (EBIC) [23], “Plant biostimulants contain
substance(s) and microorganism whose function
when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to
stimulate natural processes to enhance nutrient
uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic
stress, and crop quality”. These include - Humic
acid, Fulvic acid, Chitosan, Protein hydrolysates,
beneficial microorganisms and seaweed extracts.
Seaweed extract have been reported to
increased yield and quality in different crops such
as Rice [24], Phaseolus aureus [25], Capsicum
annuum [26], Black gram [27], Brassica napus
[28], Grapes [29], Cucumber [30], Strawberry
[31] and Tomato [32]. Application of seaweed gel
on tomato plants promote vegetative growth
along with flowers and fruits growth [33]. Extract
of A. nodosum caused 10% increase in
vegetative growth of Strawberry [34]. Foliar spray
and drenching of seaweed extract on tomatos
caused increase in root and shoot length [35].
Drenching of seaweed extract caused increase in
leaf area, stem diameter, root biomass and shoot
biomass of broccoli [36]. Concentrate application
of seaweed on lettuce caused increased uptake
of K, Ca and Mg from the soil [37].
Stimplex
R
, a commercial product obtained from
Ascophyllum nodosum, when sprayed to
ornamental pepper (Capsicum annum L.) in low
concentration of 0.75 ml/L, enhanced plant
growth parameters [38]. Application of ROOT
PLUS, a patented product obtained from
seaweed, produced more flowers and fruits as
compared to fertilizer treatment [39]. Application
of KELPAK 60, a seaweed extract concentration
caused increase in dry mass of cucumber [40].
Seaweed extract obtained from Ascophyllum
nodosum when applied on tomato leaves
showed increase in chlorophyll content [41]. Low
concentration of Ascophyllum nodosum (0.1 g L
-
1
) was found to determine root growth in
Arabidopsis plant [42]. Application of seaweed
(15%) along with recommended dose of fertilizer
in green gram significantly increases N, P and K
uptake by grains [43]. Seaweed extracts have
shown ability to protect the plants against various
pest and diseases [44] [45].
The use of inorganic fertilizers is increasing day
by day. Total consumption of N+P
2
O
5
+ K
2
O in
India had reached to 27.29 million MT during
2018-19 which was 16.79 million MT during
1998-1999 (increase of 62 %). There was wide
NPK use ratio of 7.1:2.7:1 during 2018-2019 [46].
It is another tremendous challenge for
maintaining the health of the soil. Use of excess
inorganic fertilizer is associated with
accumulation of heavy metals such as Cd, Hg,
Pb. in the ground. Nitrogenous fertilizers pollute
the underground water system through leaching.
Such type of pollution is responsible for serious
health problems when contaminated water
reaches our body. The Blue baby syndrome is a
classical example of nitrate contamination in
groundwater system. Excessive and imbalance
dose of fertilizers cause loss in fertility of soil by
disturbing various physical, chemical and
biological properties of soil such as pH, electrical
conductivity, soil structure and beneficial
microorganism population.
The products obtained from seaweed are natural,
biodegradable, organic, non-toxic and non-
hazardous in nature [47]. They can be a probable
solution for fertility management in organic
agriculture which is at present one of the biggest
challenge in our endeavour towards organic
agriculture. About 59 species of marine algae
have reported to exhibiting stimulating effect on
various agriculturally important plants.
The supply of seaweed for industrial purpose is
associated with its commercial cultivation. This in
turn will create livelihood opportunity for many
communities living along the coastal areas. Since
the planting of seaweed requires very less input
and locally available materials, it may become a
boon for poor farmers as well.

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Table 2. Commercial Seaweed products used in agriculture [22]
Product name
Seaweed species
Use
Acadian Ascophllum nodosum Plant growth stimulant
Agri-Grow Ultra Nodosum macrocystis Plant growth stimulant
AgroKelp Ascophllum nodosum Plant growth stimulant
Kelpak Durvillea antarctica Plant growth stimulant
Profert Unspecified Plant biostimulant
Fartum Eclonia nodosum Biofertilizer
Based on the current trend, the use of seaweed
is expecting to increase in agriculture as
biostimulant and biofertilizer. However, one
should also be careful regarding its
excessive use. They contain high salt (Na
+
, Cl
-
and K
+
.) which may cause soil salinization finally,
hence it is advised to use it with intermittent
gap.
4. ROLE OF SEAWEED ON PLANT
GROWTH
Seaweed extracts have shown promising results
in stimulating seed germination, root
development, increased nutrient uptake,
optimum performance under stressed
environment and enhancement of frost
resistance. Few researchers have also reported
antifungal [48] and antibacterial [49] effects.
However, the exact mechanism of such action is
still not very clear [50] [51]. Increased
photosynthetic efficiency, higher carbon
assimilation, enhanced stomata conductance,
efficient water and nutrient uptake delayed
senescence, antimicrobial, anti-feedent and
insect repellent properties may be the possible
mechanism of action by the seaweed extract
[22]. It has been observed that the seaweed
extract contain a large number of micronutrients
(Zn, Ni, Cu, Cd, F, Na and Fe) which is supposed
to be playing some supplementary role in the
plant growing in micronutrient deficient condition.
The thallus of seaweed contains high amount of
organic matter in them. The organic matter
content present in the seaweed extract was
found to be responsible for stimulating growth of
the plant [52]. Brown seaweeds containing high
amount of alginate is shown to increase the
organic matter content of soil due to microbial
decomposition which in turn improves the water
holding capacity of soil, soil structure and soil
aeration. These parameters are essential for
better root growth and development. This believe
led to wide use of seaweed as bio fertilizer in late
1960s. It has also been found that the
application of seaweed extract have improved
the level of N, P, K and other minerals in the soil
which in turn play an important role in plant
growth and development. Apart from the above
mentioned elements, seaweed also contains a
large number of organic compounds such as
protein, fibre, cellulose, hemicelluloses, fat, lignin
and vitamins which have capacity to affect the
physiology of plants. Seaweed also contains
important plant hormones such as auxin,
cytokinin and gibberellins. It is believed that the
presence of these phytohormones may modulate
innate pathways for phytochrome biosynthesis in
plants [53]. The growth promoting effect of
seaweed extract on fruits and vegetable is
thought to be due to high auxin, cytokinin and
gibberellins content in them. Auxin is a well-
known plant growth regulator playing important
role in stem elongation and fruit development in
plants. Gibberellins are known for its active role
in seed germination while cytokinin play
important role in cell division and root
development. Hence many researcher claimed
that the stimulating property is due to presence
of plant growth regulators specially gibberelin
[54] and cytokinin [55]. Presence of betaines in
seaweed extract might be responsible for
increase in chlorophyll content of many plants
[56]. Betaines are found in seaweed extracts,
though they are traditionally not considered as
plant hormones [57]. Plants treated with
seaweed extract showed greater transcription of
betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase as compared
to control [58].
Plant pathogenic microorganism such as fungi,
bacteria and nematodes play a major role in yield
reduction of crops. Many researchers have
tested seaweed extract against these plant
pathogenic microorganisms. Seaweed extract
have been found to be effective against these
harmful microorganism. The antimicrobial activity
of seaweed is thought to be due to presence of
terpenes in them [59]. Seaweed extracts are
effective against phyto-pathogenic fungi [60] [61]
[62]. Green seaweed, Ulva lactuca and Ulva
fasciata were effective against Dysdercus
cingulatus [63]. Extract of Sargassum
tenerrimum and Padina tetrastromatica were

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found to be effective against Meloidogyne
javanica [64].
5. SEAWEED CULTIVATION
With the shrinking fertile land and increasing
population, humanity is looking for various
alternatives to cope up with these problems.
Ocean and sea could be an answer to such
upcoming challenges. Growing seaweeds does
not require weighted investment. The vast
extension of coastal areas create ideal
environment for its cultivation. Till now the algae
cultivation is limiting at China, Japan and South
Korea where they are mainly consumed as food
but with the discovery of its industrial uses, its
farming is extending up to European countries. In
India too, seaweed cultivation is gaining
momentum. However it is still in nascent stage
as compared to other countries besides having a
vast coastline of 7516.6 km. Lack of information,
lack of advance technology for product
extraction, poor training facilities and
underdeveloped marketing facilities have
hindered the growth of this sector in India. It was
mainly concerned with harvesting of natural
seaweeds for supply to the agar and alginate
industry. This created ecological imbalance
within a very short period of time and hence the
need of its proper cultivation was felt. With a
motive to explore seaweed cultivation in India,
the first experiment was conducted with
Sargassum cinctum at Porbandar, Gujrat in
1963. The result motivated to explore the
possibilities of growing Gracilaria edulis at
Krusadai Island. The modern era of seaweed
farming in India started in 2000 when PepsiCo
signed an agreement with CSIR- Cental Salt and
Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI)
for production of plant growth nutrients from it.
CSMCRI has played major role in development
of seaweed farming in India specially in
developing cultivation technologies for
Kappaphycus alvarezii. With its efforts only, the
cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii has reached
to 1490 dry metric tons in 2013 from mere 21 dry
metric tons in 2001. In 2015, commercial
production of seaweed reached to  140 million
farm gate values.
Till now approx 844 species of seaweed have
been reported from India. Nearly 60 species are
commercially important. Large scale cultivation of
seaweed is practiced in Tamil Nadu coast and
efforts are going on to establish it in Gujrat,
Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerela, Karnataka
and Odisha. CSMCRI have developed new
technologies for cultivation of seaweeds specially
Kappaphycus alvarezzi. Some of the methods
employed to cultivate seaweeds are - Long line
method, Net culture, Single Rope Floating raft
method, Fixed Bottom Long Line method,
Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
method. Cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii is
mainly done by bamboo raft method which is
economical as well as feasible. A square shaped
raft (3x3) m is made using bamboo. To give
strength to this structure, bamboo braces are
used diagonally at four corners of the raft. The
lower portion is covered with fishing net to avoid
drifting of biomass. The two ends of bamboo raft
are connected using 3 mm thick Polypropylene
ropes at regular interval of 15 cm. These raft
ropes are used to attach planting material at
regular interval. Finally the raft is anchored in the
sea for biomass production. The seaweed
cuttings begin to grow under favorable condition
and are harvested at an interval of 45 days.
Approx 200 kg of wet seaweed can be harvested
from each raft per cycle. This has created
livelihood opportunity to more than 1500 coastal
households of Tamil Nadu earning approximately
US $300 per month per households. Various
SHGs are playing important role in promoting
seaweed farming in coastal areas for livelihood
generation. Several Industries have been
established such as –
 M/S Marine chemical, Cochin.
 M/S SNAP natural and alginate products
Ltd. Ranipet.
 M/S Aqua agri processing Pvt. Ltd.
 M/S Agri life Pvt. Ltd. Hydrabad.
 M/S AK Seaweeds company, Tamil
Nadu.
It will further boost seaweed farming in India.
These industries utilize seaweed to produce
commercial products such as alginate and agar.
6. CONCLUSION
The demand of chemical fertilizers, especially
urea has increased tremendously in the past few
decades. Farmers are using excessive chemicals
to increase their yield. Excessive use of chemical
fertilizer is not only increasing the cost of
cultivation but also causing harm to environment,
human health and soil health. A large portion of
applied fertilizer is either lost or remain unutilized
in the soil. Use of seaweed extract tends to
increase the absorption of nutrients by the plants,
which may in turn reduce the excess application
of inorganic fertilizers. Previous studies have

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76
shown the ability of seaweed extracts to enhance
the yield in many crops. The demand of seaweed
as bio-stimulant and bio-fertilizer is increasing
day by day. Many commercial products are
available in the market nowadays. The
increasing demand of seaweed is responsible for
its commercial cultivation which is creating job
opportunities for coastal inhabitants.
COMPETING INTERESTS
Authors have declared that no competing
interests exist.
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