Marine Algae as Green Agriculture

Abstract

Marine algae are a diverse group of organisms that carry out the process of photosynthesis by capturing energy from light. Depending upon their size, they are classified into microalgae and macro-algae. Microalgae include Bacillariophyta (diatoms), dinoflagellates, blue-green algae, etc., whereas macroalgae (seaweeds) include brown red and green algae. They occupy intertidal and littoral to sublittoral zones on hard substrate or rocks and mostly constitute green, brown and red algae of different communities. They are considered to be excellent fertilizers in different aspects of agriculture and have good proficiency in improving the chemical and physical properties of soil. They are also reported to be rich in polysaccharides, which act as perfect chelating agents with various micro-essential elements providing important nutritional value to the host plant. They enhance plant growth in different environmental stresses, showing remarkable responses as conditioners to improve the productivity and yield of crops. This book chapter, therefore, is considered to be the first of its kind that summarizes and highlights the potentiality of using marine algae and their products in integrated pest management, improving the plant growth and biological controls of some agricultural diseases for promising sustainable agricultural technology.