Enhancements provided by the use of an Ascophyllum nodosum extract can be transferred through archeospores in the red alga Neopyropia yezoensis (Ueda) L.-E. Yang & J. Brodie

Abstract

The use of seaweed extracts as biostimulants to promote enhancements in other seaweed crops is gaining momentum. Here we examined if the seaweed-derived biostimulant Ascophyllum marine plant extract powder – AMPEP, enhanced growth and thermal tolerance of cultured thalli of Neopyropia yezoensis when grown under optimal and sub-optimal temperature conditions. We also examined if enhancements could be transferred to new blades through archeospore germination. Area, specific growth rate, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein content of thalli were measured as indicators of potential enhancement. The application of AMPEP significantly increased growth rates in thalli of N. yezoensis grown under optimal temperature conditions, whilst the thalli showed no indications of improved thermal tolerance. The collated data suggested that growth enhancement could be transferred from treated thalli to newly formed blades, which developed from archeospores. This study provides new evidence of the far-reaching potential of using extracts of selected seaweeds as biostimulants to support the cultivation of economically important Neopyropia species.