Abstract
Microalgae represent a potential sustainable alternative for the enhancement and protection of agricultural crops. Cellular extracts and dry biomass of the green alga Acutodesmus dimorphus were applied as a seed primer, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, to evaluate seed germination, plant growth, and fruit production in Roma tomato plants. A. dimorphus culture, culture growth medium, and different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) of aqueous cell extracts in distilled water were used as seed primers to determine effects on germination. Seeds treated with A. dimorphus culture and with extract concentrations higher than 50 % (0.75 g mL−1) triggered faster seed germination—2 days earlier than the control group. The aqueous extracts were also applied as foliar fertilizers at various concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) on tomato plants. Extract foliar application at 50 % (3.75 g mL−1) concentration resulted in increased plant height and greater numbers of flowers and branches per plant. Two dry biomass treatments (50 and 100 g) were applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant and at the time of transplant to assess whether the timing of the biofertilizer application influenced the effectiveness of the biofertilizer. Biofertilizer treatments applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant enhanced plant growth, including greater numbers of branches and flowers, compared to the control group and the biofertilizer treatments applied at the time of transplant. The A. dimorphus culture, cellular extract, and dry biomass applied as a biostimulant, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, respectively, were able to trigger faster germination and enhance plant growth and floral production in Roma tomato plants.
Highlights
In the coming decades, a crucial challenge will be meeting future food demands without causing further environmental degradation (Godfray, et al 2010; Odegard and van der Voet 2014)
The vast majority of research on the agricultural applications of algae has focused on the use of cyanobacteria on rice fields for various reasons, the most important being their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen to plantavailable forms (Irisarri, et al 2001; Jha and Prasad 2006; Pereira et al 2008; Sharma, et al 2010), or on macroalgae, since they can be harvested from coastal areas and
To increase our knowledge about the agricultural applications of microalgae, the goal of this study was to evaluate whether the microalga A. dimorphus living culture, cell extracts, and dry biomass could be applied to tomato plants as a biostimulant, foliar spray, and biofertilizer
Summary
A crucial challenge will be meeting future food demands without causing further environmental degradation (Godfray, et al 2010; Odegard and van der Voet 2014). Society faces a challenge to increase agricultural production amidst global climate change, which threatens to diminish harvests in many areas of the world, and to develop innovative technologies that increase agricultural yields, minimize inputs, and deter further environmental pollution (Tilman, et al 2002; Foley, et al 2011). Biofertilizers are considered to be an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, for they enhance agricultural production and diminish environmental pollution (Kawalekar 2013). Biofertilizers are products that contain living microorganisms or natural compounds derived from organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae that improve soil chemical and biological properties, stimulate plant growth, and restore soil fertility (Abdel-Raouf, et al 2012)
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