NSave Nature to Survive

Transcription

1 ISSN: NSave Nature to Survive : Special issue, Vol. III: ; 2013 AN INTERNATIONAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES SEAWEED LIQUID FERTILIZER (SLF) AND ITS ROLE IN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY D. Mohanty et al. KEYWORDS Seaweed Marine macro-algae Liquid fertilizer Crop productivity Sustainable agriculture Prof. P. C. Mishra Felicitation Volume Paper presented in National Seminar on Ecology, Environment & Development January, 2013 organised by Deptt. of Environmental Sciences, Sambalpur University, Sambalpur Guest Editors: S. K. Sahu, S. K. Pattanayak and M. R. Mahananda 147

2 NSave Nature to Survive QUARTERLY D. MOHANTY 1, S. P. ADHIKARY* AND G. N. CHATTOPADHYAY 2 1 Centre for Biotechnology, Institute of Science, Visva - Bharati, Santineketan, West Bengal Soil testing laboratory, Institute of Agriculture, Visva - Bharati, Sriniketan, West Bengal adhikarysp@visva-bharati.ac.in ABSTRACT Seaweeds or marine macro-algae are important renewable plant resources occurring in the seas, brackish waters and lagoons across the globe. Application of liquid extract from these organisms as foliar spray and/or seed treatment showed positive result on enhancement of vegetative growth and yield of several crops. In addition they increase the biochemical constituents of plants and possess environmental stress mitigating potential. Amendment of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) to soils improves the soil health by enhancing the micronutrient quantity and quality, and microbial activity. The research work carried out so far on the beneficial role of SLF in agriculture has been reviewed. The seaweed resources of the Indian coast and the methods so far followed for preparation of SLF and their mode of application to crops is presented. *Corresponding author INTRODUCTION The macro-algae inhabiting the intertidal zones of estuaries, lagoons and in the seas across the world play an important role in the marine ecosystems. The saline nature of the environment favours the growth of certain macro-algae known as the seaweeds. These organisms are important renewable bio-resources of the seas. Many of them are used as food, preparation of several industrial products and also as a raw material for fertilizer for amendment in the crop fields as liquid fertilizer or compost for increasing productivity. The major uses of seaweeds are (i) production of phyto - chemicals such as agar-agar, carrageen and alginate (Kaliaperumal and Uthirasivan, 2011) and (ii) as food for human consumption as green vegetable, salad and also in the form of jelly, jam, chocolates and pickles (Krishnamurthy et al., 1981). Apart from that seaweeds are used as raw for cosmetics (Fujimura et al., 2002) and medicine (Maeda et al., 2007). Occurrence of seaweeds Seaweeds occur attached to the sea-bed principally in the intertidal zones where adequate light can penetrate the water column for supporting their growth. Among the environmental factors light, temperature, salinity, water motion and nutrient availability are the major factors affecting their growth in the natural habitats. Seaweeds grow in diverse light regimes. The water quality and flood of tides have profound effects on the quantity and quality of light that reaches the seaweeds. Basing on the capture of light energy three kinds of pigments are involved in photosynthesis i.e. chlorophyll a and/or b, phycobiliproteins and carotenoids. Larkum and Barrett (1983) have distinguished three groups of seaweeds on the basis of presence of these pigments. These are of three major divisions, brown algae (Phaeophyta), red algae (Rhodophyta) and green algae (Chlorophyta). Seaweed requires inorganic carbon, water, light and various minerals ions for photosynthesis and growth. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Molybdenum, Sodium, Chlorine, Boron, Cobalt found in the sea are suitable for growth of seaweeds. Some seaweed requires trace amounts of one or two organic carbon compounds or vitamins for their growth. Vitamin B-12 is also required by seaweeds for their growth which is present in the seawater in a trace (Lobban and Harrison, 1994). Salinity in the open sea surface is generally ppt but certain seas have markedly higher or lower salinities, because of evaporation and freshwater influx which regulate the type of seaweed to occur. Many seaweeds show changes in the metabolic and ionic concentration in response to the salinity changes of seawater (Reed and Collins, 1980). Distribution of seaweeds in India Along the coastline of India, the littoral and sub-littoral rocky areas support growth of different types of macro-algae. Luxuriant growth of seaweeds has been reported along the South-east coast of Tamil Nadu from Mandapam to Kanyakumari, Gujarat coast, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands. Fairly rich seaweed 148

3 ROLE OF SEAWEED LIQUID FERTILIZER beds were reported in the vicinity of Bombay, Ratnagiri, Goa, Karwar, Varkala, Kovalam, Vizhinjam, Visakhapatnam and few other places such as Chilka and Pulicat lake (Thivy, 1960; Kaliaperumal et al., 1987). Rao (1969) gave an account of distribution of most important agar and aigin - yielding seaweeds, Gracilaria, Gelidiella, Sargassum and Turbinaria from Mandapam cost of Tamil Nadu. Sahu and Adhikary (1999) have reported the occurrence of seaweed in the Chilika lake, Odisha in different season for a period of over 15 years. There are mainly two groups of seaweeds found in the lake. These belong to Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta. Of these three are widely occurring (Chaetomorpha linum, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Enteromorpha compressa), one commonly occurring (Gracilaria verrucosa) and one less commonly occurring species (Ulva lactuca) (Rath and Adhikary, 2005). Details of the occurrence of seaweeds at different locations in the coastal region of India is given in Fig.1. Seaweed liquid fertilizer Seaweed and its derived products are used as fertilizer in the coastal areas throughout the globe. In India it is used for coconut plantations especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala (Kalimuthu et al., 1987). The high amount of water soluble potash, other mineral and trace elements present in seaweeds are readily absorbed by plants and they control nutrient deficiency in plants. Carbohydrates and other organic matter present in seaweeds alter the nature of the soil and improve its moisture retaining capacity. Hence, large quantities of seaweeds including sea grasses such as Cymodocea, Diplanthera,Enhalus and Halophila are used as manure in all parts of the country either directly or in form of compost. Thivy (1960) studied the application of seaweed as manure on vegetables and field crops and the performance of the seaweed manure was found to be significantly better than that of farm yard manure due to the easy decomposability of its carbonaceous matter and presence of micro-nutrients. The use of seaweed manure in conjunction with the inorganic fertilizers has been found to be better than the other organic input for the growth and development of plant (Kaliaperumal, 2000). An experimental field trial report of CMFRI (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute), Mandapam showed that by using 3month old Hypnea and cowdung compost on Bhendi crop gave 73% higher yield than that of control. Seaweeds are not only used as compost but can also be used as a liquid fertilizer. Liquid seaweed extract when applied to seed, soil or sprayed on crops it increased seed germination percentage, nutrient uptake, growth (Immanuel and Subramanian, 1999) and yield of crops (Anantharaj and Venkatesalu, 2002). The diluted liquid seaweed extract also enhanced the plant s defence against diseases and increases salt (Jayaraman et al., 2011) and drought tolerance (Kumar and Mohan, 2000). An adequate amount of growth promoting hormones and micronutrients present in seaweed makes them an excellent fertilizer. Unlike chemical fertilizer, seaweed extract are biodegradable, non-toxic, non-polluting and nonhazardous to human (Dhargalkar and Pereia 2005). It is well known that chemical fertilizers degrade the fertility of the soil by making it acidic, rendering it unsuitable for rising crops, however, seaweed extract besides increasing the soil fertility increases the moisture holding capacity and supplies adequate trace metals improving the soil structure. Fertilizers differ from plant growth regulators differ from fertilizers in several ways. While the growth regulators alter cell division, root and shoot elongation, initiation of flowering and other metabolic function, the fertilizers simply supply minerals needed for the nutrition and normal growth of the plant. Therefore, Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF), a blend of both plat growth regulators and organic nutrient input is eco friendly promoting sustainable productivity and maintaining the soil health. Preparation, mode of application and growth promoting role of Seaweed liquid fertilier\(slf) Seaweed extracts exhibit growth stimulating property on crop plants. Hence its formulation can be used as a bio-stimulant in agriculture. Bio-stimulant is defined as a material other than fertilizer that promotes the growth and yield attribute property of the plants when applied in a small quantity during a crop cycle. The biostimulant present in seaweed extract increase the vegetative growth (10%), the leaf chlorophyll content (11%), the stomata density (6.5%), photosynthetic rate and the fruit production (27%) of the plant (Spinelli et al., 2010). In spite of the proven capability of SLF on growth and yield promotion of various crops, the extraction procedure from seaweeds, its concentration and mode of application has not been standardized. The liquid seaweed extracts from seaweeds are usually prepared by hydrolyzing the material under pressure, however, the preparation may varies from species to species depending upon the amount of dried material available. It s method of extraction significantly differs from person to person and also the mode of application to crops. Details of the protocols so far developed and used in agriculture are given in Table 1. Seaweed extracts are used in several ways, such as drench in soil during transplantation, during field preparation (Lingakumar et al., 2002), seed treatment (Immanuel and Subramanian, 1999) or as foliar application. Foliar application is spraying of nutrients to leaves and stems where they are absorbed by the plants (Sethi and Adhikary 2008). Foliar applications of liquid fertilizer supply the plant with nutrients more rapidly than methods involving uptake by root due to seed/root treatment. Growers, therefore, can apply SLF as foliar treatment to quickly correct nutrient deficiencies. Foliar treatment has some drawbacks, mainly due to the structure of the leaf and the temporary nature of the nutrient supply. Leaves, particularly those with thick cuticle, have low absorption rates. Therefore, multiple applications of liquid fertilizers are necessary to supply a sufficient quantity of the nutrients to the plants. Further, once applied, foliar nutrients may be washed off by rain or irrigation water before the plant absorbs them. To counter this loss, surfactants can be used to increase the efficiency of penetration of the leaf surface and the duration of the sprays on the leaf be increased depending upon the situation. At certain cases application of high nutrient concentrations in foliar spray cause severe leaf damage due to phytotoxicity. To avoid this situation, repeated applications of dilute formulations, therefore, is necessary to supply the plant s nutrient requirements without damaging the foliage. Since there are different types of seaweed extracts available in the market, it is important for the farmer/grower to know the type of species used in preparation of SLF and how to properly use it for specific crops. The timing, dosage and frequency of application 149

4 D. MOHANTY et al., Table 1: Comparative analysis of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF) preparation by various scientific groups Seaweed used SLF Preparation protocol Reference Sargassum wightii, 500g powder of Seaweed was extracted in a soxhlet apparatus %SLF. Immanuel and Gelidella aerosa, for 8h in petroleum ether for 50ºC. 250mg of the crude paste was dissolved Subramanian, 1999 Ulva lactuca in 5mL of acetone and 245mL of water and centrifuged. The supernatant was considered as 100 Sargassum plgiophyllum, 100g of powdered seaweed soaked and boiled in 100mL Anantharaj and Venkatasalu 2001, Ashok Padina pavonia,caulerpa of water and the extract was considered as 100% SLF. et al., 2004 racemosa,gracilaria edulis Gracilaria corticata,caulerpa 10 g of Seaweed powder mixed with 200mL of tap water and Thangam et al., 2003 sclpeliformis autoclaved for 30 minute, cooled, centrifuged and supernatant was dried at 60ºC for 48h. The dried seaweed extract considered as 100% SLF. Spyridia hypnoides 100g of seaweed powder was boiled in 100mL of tap Kumar et al., 2004 water and made the volume 100mL. Total extract considered as 100 % SLF. Laurencia obtuse,hypnea 10g of dried powder was soaked in 1lt of sterile water and boiled at Thevanathan et al., musciformis,pandina 120ºC for 15 minute in a pressure cooker. The extract was cooled and 2005a, b, c tetrastomatica filtered through a cheese cloth and the filtrate was used as 100% SLF. Sargassum wighti 1Kg of seaweed cut in to small pieces and boiled with 1L of Sivasankari et al., 2006 distilled water and filtered. The filtrate was taken as 100%. Sargassum polycystum 500g of Seaweed powder was boiled 1000mL of tap water Ramamoorthy et al., 2006 for 30 minutes and made the volume 500mL. The filtrate considered as 100%. Sargassum polycystum,ulva 500 g powder seaweeds soaked in 100mL of ethyl alcohol for Ramamoorthy and Sujatha lactucaturbinaria conoides 12h and the residue was boiled with 200mL of distilled water for 30minute, 2007 cooled and filtered. The alcohol and water constituent was mixed and the volume was made up to 50mL with water and considered as 100% SLF. Chaetomorpha linum, 10g of powder soaked in 100mL of distilled water followed by autoclaving Sethi and Adhikary 2008, Gracilaria verrucosa for 30 minute. The autoclaved materials were filtered after cooling through 2009 a cheese cloth and the extract was treated as 100%. Kappaphycus alvarazii The fresh material were homogenized by a grinder at ambient Rathore et al., 2009 temperature, filtered and stored. These filtrate was taken as 100% SLF % diluted SLF was used. Sargassum polycystum 1 Kg of fresh chopped seaweed boiled with 1liter of Erulan et al., 2009 distilled water for 1 hour and then filtered. The filtrate was taken as 100% SLF. Sargassum wightii 500g of dry powder soaked in 100mL of ethyl alcohol for 12h the residue of Jothinayagi 2009 the extract was boiled with 300ml of distilled water for 30 minute and filtered. The volume was made up to 500mL with distilled water and known as 100%. Gracilaria corticata, 50g of powder was soaked and boiled in 50mL of distilled water for one Pise and Sabale, 2010 Ulva faciata,sargassum h and the filtered through muslin cloth and the filtrate volume was made ilicfolium up to 50mL and these extract was treated as 100% extract. Sargassum johnstonii 500g of seaweed powder was soaked in 5L of water and heated for Kumari et al., min at 60ºC. The filter extract was cooled and recovered about 3L and taken as 10 % SLF. From these extract 0.1-8% concentrations was used. Pandina pavonia, 100g powder were soaked in 500 ml of distilled water and boiled for Bai et al., 2011, Kumar Dictyota dichotoma 60 minute and filtered. The resulting cooled extract was taken as 100% SLF. and Sahoo, 2011 are very important when dealing with seaweed extract. Application rate and frequency may vary based on location, time of season, soil type and crop. Depending on the stage of plant growth and the type of crop, a grower may have different results on which seaweed extract they use. Proper application is important because higher concentration of seaweed extract may damage the plant resulting loss in yields (Spinelli et al., 2010). In an experiment with cluster beans, it was found that by the use of 1.5% Sargassum wightii and 1.0% of Ulva lactuca growth was increased but the higher concentrations retarded the plant growth due to stress and wilting of leaves (Ramya et al., 2010). When dealing with the effect of SLF on seed germinations in crops, red seaweed, green seaweed and brow seaweed also yielded slightly different results due to differences in the chemical constituent between the species (Demir et al., 2006). A diagrammatic representation of various mode of application of seaweed liquid fertilizer to crop plants and their effect through possible mechanisms is given in Fig. 2. Effect of Seaweed liquid fertilizer on plant growth Seaweeds have been in used as a food and manure for plantation crops by coastal people in many countries (Kaliperumal et al., 1987). Recent research suggests that application of seaweed extract as seed treatment and/or foliar spray helps significant growth of plants. The extract contains micro-nutrients, auxins and cytokinins and other growth promoting substances (Spinelli et al., 2010). These hormones play an important role in enhancement of cell size and cell division, and together they complement each other as cytokinins are effective in shoot generation and auxins in root development, while micro-nutrients improve soil health (Liu and Lijun, 2011). The amount of plant growth regulators like auxin and cytokinin contents was recorded up to 150μg/L and 235μg/L respectively in Sargassum wightii (Sridhar and Rengasamy, 2010a). Seaweed extract is viewed superior because the organic matters aids in retaining moisture and 150

5 ROLE OF SEAWEED LIQUID FERTILIZER Figure 1: Map of coastal region of India showing occurrence of different seaweeds at specific locations along its coast Cereals Pulses Oilseeds Vegetables Ornamental plants Spices Figure 3: Pi-chart showing the percentage of publications on the field trials so far carried out on the application of seaweed liquid fertilizer on various crops minerals needed for the plants (Zodape et al., 2011). The liquid extract of Ulva lactuca, Sargassum wightii and Gelidella acerosa induced maximum germination, root and shoot growth in Ragi (Immanuel and Subramanian, 1999). Extract of Enteromorpha intestinalis increased seed germination, root, shoot length and chlorophyll content of Sesamum indicum (Gandhiyappan and Perumal 2001). Gracilaria edulis extract supported higher growth, fruiting and flowering in Ablemoschus esculentus (Ramshubramanian et al., 2004). When 1% of Gracilaria edulis applied to soil bed maximum germination, growth and development in Zea mays and Phaseolus mungo was obtained (Lingakumar et al., 2004). SLF prepared from Hydroclathrtus and applied to soil drench exhibited maximum per cent increase in the growth parameters of Sorghum (Ashok et al., 2004). Sethi and Adhikary (2008) Figure 2: A diagrammatic representation of the various modes of application of seaweed liquid fertilizer to crop plants and their effect through possible mechanisms observed a positive result on the vegetative growth of black gram, brinjal and tomato when liquid extract from Gracilaria verucosa and Chaetomorpha linum was applied as foliar spray. The Growth promoting activity of Mungo was significantly higher upon application of 1% extract of Gracilaria verucosa and 2.5% of Chaetomorpha linum in consortium with Rhizobium culture (Sethi and Adhikary 2009). The aqueous seaweed extract from Gracilaria edulis when applied to soil bed in three different concentrations showed increase in the growth parameters and biomass accumulation in legume (Lingakumar et al., 2002, 2004, 2006). Sridhar and Rengasamy (2010 b) studied the effect of the liquid extract from Sargassum wightii on Arachis hypogaea which showed increase in height and number of branches of the plant in comparison to chemical treatment. Kumari et al. (2011) observed the aqueous extract of Sargassum johnstonii induced significant increase in vegetative growth of Lycopersicon esculentum. During a trial with olive trees, seaweed was found beneficial when combined with other ingredients (treatments N + SLF and N + Borax + SLF) to enhance the productivity, oil content and maturation of the fruits. A study on marigold showed significant increase in the yield when 1.0% dilution seaweed extract was added and the fertilizer dose was reduced to 50% (Sridhar and Rengasamy, 2010a). These studies showed that seaweed extract works best when combined with other traditional fertilizers such as FYM and supports the claim that SLF acts as a natural plant growth regulator. Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on yield of crop Seaweed extracts not only increase the vegetative growth of the plant but it also triggers the early flowering and fruiting in crops. A report showed that treatment of seaweed extract increase length (31.7%), diameter (18.2%) and yield (37.4%) of Ablemoschus esculentus than the control (Zodape et al., 2008). The liquid extract of Hypnea musciformis, Laurencia obtusa, Padina tetrastromatica and Stoechospermum mariginatum acted as a biostimulant to increase the productivity and quality of tea (Thevanathan et al., 2005 a). Foliar application of aqueous extract of Ulva lacuta, Turbinaria 151

6 D. MOHANTY et al., conoides and Sargassum polycystum gives positive result on the growth and yield of pea and black gram (Ramamoorty et al., 2006 a, b, 2007). Sivasankari et al. (2006) showed higher yield of cowpea by applying liquid extract of Turbinaria decurrens. Xavier et al. (2007) used Ulva fasciata and Caulerpa racemosa extract on beans producing appreciable yield of the crop. Sridhar and Rengasamy (2010 b) used liquid extract of Sargassum wightii and Ulva lactuca in field in combination with 50% dose of chemical fertilizer and found that the yield enhancement capacity of only SLF for Arachis hypogaea was the same as that of 100% recommended doses of chemical fertilizer. Zodape et al. (2011) reported that foliar application of liquid extract of Kappaphycus alvarezii triggers the yield potency of Lycopersicon esculentum. Bai et al. (2011) applied the liquid extract of Pandina pavonia and got maximum yield of pulses. Kumar and Sahoo (2011) reported higher yield in Triticum aestivum upon foliar application of 20% extract of Sargassum wightii. Pi-chart showing the percentage of publications on field trials so far conducted on the application of seaweed liquid fertilizer on various crops is given in Fig.3. Effect of SLF on the biochemical composition of crop plants Kumari et al. (2011) observed a linear increase in the pigment concentrations, protein, total soluble sugar, reducing sugar, starch, phenols, lycopen and vitamin C content of Lycopersicon esculentum upon treatment with liquid extract of Sargassum sp. The liquid extract of Ulva fasciata, Sargassum ilicifolium and Gracilaria corticata influenced the photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrate, proteins and free aminoacids content of Trigonella foenum - graecum (Pise and Sable 2010). Different concentrations of liquid extract of Ulva lacuta, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Padina tetrastromatica and Sargassum linearifolium increased the amount of protein, carbohydrate, and aminoacid of Brassica nigra (Kalidass et al., 2010). Application of liquid extract from Ulva lcuta and Sargassum sp. to the soil bed promoted the photosynthetic pigment composition, soluble protein and starch, aminoacid content of Phaseolus mungo, Zea mays and Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (Lingakumar et al., 2004, 2006). The biochemical composition of Vigna radiata was increased by applying 10% liquid extract of Sargassum wightii (Sivasankari et al., 2006). Ramasubramanian et al. (2004) reported the effect of seaweed extract of Gracilaria edulis showed an increase in the pigment concentration, protein and enzyme activity of Abelmoschus esculentus. Selin et al. (2007 a) in a comparative study on the impact of the liquid extract of seaweed and sea grasses of Mandapam coast found promoting the chlorophyll content of Zea mays. Liquid extract of Padina pavonia helped in increasing the pigment, total soluble sugar, protein and lipid content Cyamposis tetragonoloba (Thangam et al., 2003). Different concentrations of SLF (0.5%, 1%, 2.0%, 2.5%) when applied to soil bed, enhanced the chlorophyll a, b, protein, sugar, starch and nitrate reductive activity of Sorghum (Ashok et al., 2004). Liquid extract of Sargassum polycystum significantly enhanced the biochemical composition of the black gram when treated in soil during transplantation (Ramaoorthy et al., 2006b). Seaweed extract of Gracilaria edulis when added to soil bed showed positive response on the photosynthetic pigment, total amino acid, protein and starch content of Zea mays (Lingakumar et al., 2002). The biochemical parameters such as photosynthetic pigments, protein content, sugars, ascorbic acid and nitrate reductase activity were enhanced when compared to untreated seedlings of Ablemuscus esculentus (Selin et al., 2007 b). The liquid extract of Gracilaria edulis showed higher growth and biochemical characteristic in Ablemoschus esculentus (Ramshubramanian et al., 2004). Higher cholorophyll, carbohydrate, and protein content were observed in Dolichos biflorus seeds by treating with 10% extract of Caulerpa racemosa and Gracilaria edulis (Anantaraj and Venkatasalu, 2002). Seaweed liquid fertilizer on quality and fertility of soils Application of seaweed extract has been shown to enhance the moisture holding capacity of the soil. Brown seaweeds are rich in polysaccharides coupled with their hydrophilic property which makes the compound important in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. Alginate occurs in the cell walls of seaweeds as a mixed salt. Alginic acid combine with ions in soil to form high molecular weight complex that absorb moisture, swell, retain soil moisture and improve crump formation resulting in better aeration and capillary activity of soil pores, which in return stimulates the growth of plant root system and microbial activity (Gandiyappan and Perumal, 2001). Application of seaweeds and seaweed extract triggers the growth of beneficial microbes and secretion of soil conducting substances by these microbes. Seaweed liquid extract enhanced soil fertility by improving the moisture holding capacity and also helps in the growth of soil micro-biota. Some of the beneficial microbes like Rhizobium when applied in consortium with seaweed extract, it enhanced the early growth and yield attribute properties in legume plants like Arachis hypogea and Vigna mungo and the response was 12-25% higher than that of control (Sethi and Adhikary, 2009). Environmental stress mitigating role of SLF to crop plants Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and higher temperature are found to reduce the yield of major crops leading to decrease in the agricultural production worldwide. However, seaweed extracts were found beneficial in reducing disease through induction of defence enzymes. Application of liquid fertilizer from seaweeds was shown to mitigate many such stress to plants. In carrot application of SLF enhanced activities of chitinase, B-1-3 flucanase, polyphenol oxidase and lipoxynase which are factors regulating plant disease. Similar results were found in cucumber which showed enhanced activities of various defence-related enzymes including chitinase, B-1, 3-glucanase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, and lipoxygenase due to SLF application (Jayaraman et al., 2011). Liquid extract from two brown marine algae i.e. Pandina pavonica and Sargassum plagiophyllum showed beneficial effect on drought stress on black gram (Kumar and Mohan, 2000). The drought stress caused a decline in the nitrate reductase activity and chlorophyll content. Recovery from the stress was much faster in seeds treated with SLF. Effect of liquid extract of Padina pavonica and Sargassum plagiophyllum exhibited significant recovery of growth of drought stressed ragi seeds (Kumar and Mohan, 2003). SLF treated plants showed much faster recovery of nitrate reductase activity and photosynthetic pigment as compared to the untreated ones. The liquid extract prepared 152

7 ROLE OF SEAWEED LIQUID FERTILIZER from Spyridia hypnoides showed beneficial effect on Oryza sativa during senescence (Kumar et al., 2004). The effect of liquid extract from Spyridia hypnoides and Syringodium isoetifolium on oxidising enzymes in Zea maize during senescence was also reported. Ramamoorthy et al. (2007) reported that the application of liquid extract from Ulva lactuca, Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum polycystum reduced ageing of blackgram seeds. The commercial extract from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum was found to reduce fungal diseases in cucumber (Jayaraman et al., 2011). Immune activity of seaweed extract Karthikaidevi et al. (2009) reported that the methanol and ethanol extract of some commonly occurring green algae like Codium adherens, Ulva reticulata and Halimeda tuna in Tamil Nadu were more effective than that of the commercial medicine against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus sp. There are also reports that the seaweed species Ulva lactuca, Padina gymnospora, Sargassum wightii and Gracilaria edulis showed antibacterial activity and defence mechanism against human bacterial pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella dysentriae, Shigella bodii, Salmonella paratyphi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia. The organic extracts of three marine macroalgae viz., Chaetomorpha linum, Enteromorpha compressa and Polysiphonia subtilissima of Chilika Lake, Odisha showed specific activity in inhibiting the growth of three Gram-negative bacteria Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli and two Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus brevis (Patra et al., 2009). Faten and Emad (2009) reported that ethanol extract of marine red macroalga, Gracilaria verrucosa showed antioxidant activity. The liquid extract of Palmaria palmate, Laminaria setchellii, Macrocystis integrifolia, Nereocystis leutkeana gave a positive result in anti-proliforative and antioxidant activity to mammals (Yuan and Walsh, 2006). The hot-water extract of the seaweed Sargassum hemiphyllum showed antioxidant and immunestimulating activities in mammals (Hwang et al. 2010). Use of seaweed in industry The principal commercial seaweed products constitute three hydrocolloids: agar, alginates, and carragenans. Biologically active compounds such as plant and animal nutritional supplements are now also identified in the seaweed extract. Seaweeds as food and seaweed-derived food flavours, colours and nutrients are also attracting commercial and industrial attention. The processed food industry is the primary market for the seaweed hydrocolloids where they serve as texturing agents. Agar and its derivative products, agarose and bacteriological agar are now available for preparation of microbiological media, hence marketed widely. Alginates continue to be used in textile printing, paper coating and other relatively low margin industrial applications. However their use in food offers better industrial profit. Alginate, sometimes shortened to algin, is present in the cell walls of brown seaweeds and is partly responsible for the flexibility of the seaweeds. Consequently, brown seaweeds that grow in more turbulent conditions usually have higher alginate content than those in calmer waters. While any brown seaweed can be used as a source of alginate, the actual chemical structure of the alginate varies from one genus to another and similar variability is found in the properties of the alginate that is extracted from the type of seaweed. Since the main application of alginate are in thicke ning aqueous solutions and forming gels, its quality is judged on how well it performs in these uses. A high quality alginate forms strong gels and gives thick aqueous solutions. Some commonly available brown seaweeds that fulfil the above criteria are Ascophyllum, Enteromorpha, Ecklonia, Laminaria, Lessonia and Sargassum. Now a day s interest is growing for use of alginate in controlled drug release and this could develop into a profitable industrial market. Carragenan has long enjoyed a small share in the market for the preparation of toothpaste and has also took part a role in pharmaceuticals like drug and capsule formulations. Apart from that some of the major home recipes like jam, jelly, salad and industrial product like agar-agar and sodium alginate are also derived from seaweeds. Now more than 25 functioning agar and alginate industries are situated in different places in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat (Kaliaperumal, 2000). CONCLUSION Though seaweed and its derived product are increasingly used in production of agricultural crops, the mechanism of action of seaweed extract on enhancement of productivity is still unknown. The recent challenge in sustainable food production is due to the increasing occurrence of biotic and abiotic stress as due to climate change, which may lead to reduction of agricultural productivity globally. Under this situation SLF may work as a good inducer for sustainability in agricultural production coupled with maintenance of soil health. In India seaweeds are not used extensively except for production of phycocolloids. But being a rich source of vitamins, minerals and growth promoters, they can be of immense help to the coastal farmers for their use as a source of organic fertilizer. Hence there is a need for popularizing the use of seaweed as health food and liquid organic fertilizer through mass scale field trials and organization of public awareness programmes. In this regard, research institutes / agencies and private entrepreneurs should come forward with scientific and technical knowledge and marketing expertise. The farmer of the area where seaweed cultivation is feasible should be educated about the significance and the benefits from multifaceted use of seaweeds. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are thankful to Department of Science and Technology, SEED Division, Govt. India for financial support through a research-cum-extention project. We thank the authority of Visva -Bharati for providing laboratory facility at the Centre for Biotechnology, Institute of Science and Soil testing Laboratory, Institute of Agriculture, Santiniketan - Sriniketan campus. REFERENCES Anantharaj, M. and Venkatesalu, V Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on Vigna catajung Seaweed Res. Utiln. 23: Anantharaj, M. and Venkatesalu, V Studies on the effect of seaweed extracts on Dolichos biflorus. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 24:

8 D. MOHANTY et al., 137. Ashok, V., Vijayanand, N. and Rathinavel, S Bio-fertilizing efficiency of seaweed liquid extract of Hydroclathrus clathratus on Sorghum vulgare. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 26: Bai, R. N., Mary, C. and Kala, T Effect of Seaweed concentrate of Pavonia on the growth and yield of a pulse crop. Pant Arch. 1: Demir, N., Dural, B. and Yildirlm, K Effect of seaweed on seed germination of Tomato, Pepper and Aubergine J. Biol. Sci. 6: Dhargalkar, V. K. and Pereira, N Seaweed promising plant of the millennium. Sci Cult. 71: Erulan, V. S. P., Thirumaran, G. and Ananthan, G Studies on the effect of Sargassum polycystum extract on the growth and biochemical composition of Cajanus cajan L. J. Agri. Environ. Sci. 6: Faten, M. A. E. and Emad, A. S Antioxidant activity of extract and semi- purified fractions of marine red macroalga, Gracilaria verrucosa. Aust. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 3: Fujimura, T., Tsukahara, K., Moriwaki, S., Kitahara, T., Sano, T. and Tatema, Y Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes its thickness and mechanical properties. J. Cosmet. Sci. 53: 1-9. Gandhiyappan, K. and Perumal, P Growth promoting effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (Enteromorpha intestinalis) on the sesame crop plant (Sesamum indicum L.). Seaweed Res. Utiln. 23: Hwang, P. A., Chwen, H. W., Gau, S. Y., Chien, S. Y. and Hwang, D. F Antioxidant and immune stimulating activities of hotwater extract from seaweed Sargassum hemiohyllum. J. Mar. Sci. Tech. 18: Immanuel, R. and Subramanian, S. K. 1999: Effect of fresh extract and seaweed liquid fertilizers on some cereals and millets. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 21: Jothinayagi, N Effect of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer of Sargassum wightii on the growth and biochemical characteristics of Abelmoschus esculentus L. Recent Res. Sci. Tech. 1: Jayaraman, J., Jeff, N. and Zamir P Commercial extract from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum reduces fungal diseases in greenhouse cucumber. J. Appl. Phycol. 23: Kaliaperumal, N Marine plants of Mandapam coast and their uses. Regl. Cent. Centrl. Mar. Fish. Res.Ins. Special issue: Kaliaperuamal, N. Chennubhotla, V. S. K and Kalimuthu, S Seaweed resource of India. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 41: Kaliaperuamal, N. and Uthirasivan, P Commercial scale production of agar from read alge. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 23: Kalidass, C., Jayarani, S. and Glory, M Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on growth and biochemical constituents of Brassica nigra L. Int. J. Agri. Environ. Biotech. 3: Kalimuthu, S., Chennubhotla, V. S. K. and Kaliaperumal, N Economic important seaweeds of Inida. Seaweed Research and Utilization in India. CMFRI Bulletin. 41: 99 pp. Karthikaidevi, G., Manivannan, K., Thirumaran, G., Anantharaman, P. and Balasubaramanian, T Antibacterial activity of some selected seaweeds from Pudumadam coastal region. Global J. Pharma. 3: Krishnamurthy, K., Chennubhotla, V. S. K., Kaliaperumal, N. and Kalimuthu, S Seaweed recipes and other practical uses of Seaweeds. J. Seafood Res. 10: 1-5. Kumari, R., Kaur, I. and Bhatanagar, A Effect of aqueous extract of Sargassum johnstonii Setchell and Gardner on the growth, yield and quality of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. J. Appl. Phycol. 23: Kumar, P. and Sahoo, D Effect of seaweed liquid extract on the growth and yield of Triticum aestivum var. Pusa Gold J. Appl. Phycol. 10: 1-5. Kumar, R., Selin, A. and Saravana, S Studies on the effect of seaweed extract on Oryza sativa var. Ambi-16 during senescence. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 26: Kumar, V. and Mohan, V. R SLF application on recovery of drought stressed black gram. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 22: Kumar, V. and Mohan, V. R Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on drought stressed Ragi. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 22: Larkum, A. W. D. and Barrett, J Light-harvesting processes in algae. Adv. Bot. Res. 10: Lingakumar, K., Jeyaprakash, R., Manimuthu, C. and Haribaskar, A Gracilaria edulis- an effective alternative source as a growth regulator for Zea mays and Phaseolus mungo. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 24: Lingakumar, K., Jeyaprakash, R., Manimuthu, C. and Haribaskar, A Influence of Sargassum sp. crude extract on vegetative growth and biochemical characteristics in Zea mays and Phaseolus mungo. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 26: Lingakumar, K., Balasubramanian, D. Sundar, S. K. G., Jeyaprakash, R. and Jeyakumar, M Effect of Ulva lactuca crude extract on growth and biochemical characteristics in Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. and Phaseolus mungo. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 28: Liu, Z. and Lijun L Effects of Plant growth regulators and saccharide on in vitro plant and tuberous root regeneration of Cassava. J. Plant Growth Reg. (30)1: Lobban, C. S. and Harrison, P. J Seaweed Ecology and Physiology. Cambridge University Press, USA. 366 pp. Maeda, H., Hosokawa, M., Sashima, T. and Miyashita, K Dietary combination of fucoxanthin and fish oil attenuates the weight gain of white adipose tissue and decreases blood glucose in diabetic. J. Agric. Food Chem. 55: Patra, J. K., Patra, A. P. and Mohapatra, N. K Antimicrobial activity of organic solvent extracts of three marine macro-algae from Chilika lake, Orissa. Malaysian J. Microbiol. 5: Pise, N. M. and Sabale, A. B Effect of seaweed concentractes on the growth and biochemical constituents of Trigonella foenumgraecum L. J. Phytology. 2: Ramamoorthy, K. and Sujatha, K Effect of seaweed extract on the ageing of black gram seeds. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 29: Ramamoorthy, K., Sujatha, K., Sivasubramaniam, K. and Subburamu, K a. Organic priming with Sargassum polycystum extracts on vigour and viability in cowpea Vigna unguiculata L. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 28: Ramamoorthy, K., Sujatha, K., Sivasubramaniam, K. and Subburamu, K b. Utilisation of seaweed extract for enhancing yield in black gram Vigna mungo L. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 29: Ramasubramanian, V., Sumathi, M. and Jeyaprakash, R Effect of seaweed extract on the growth and biochemical characteristics of match factory effluent treated Ablemoschus esculentus (L.) seedling. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 26: Ramya, S., Sivas, S. N. and Vijayanand, N Biofertilizer efficiency of brown and green algae on the growth biochemical and yield parameters of Cyamopsis tetragonolaba L. Recent Res. Sci. Tech. 24: Rao, U A catalogue of marine algae in the reference collection of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Bull. Cent. Mar. Fish. Res. Inst. 9: Rathore, S. S., Chaudhary, D. R., Boricha, G. N. and Ghosh, A. 154

9 ROLE OF SEAWEED LIQUID FERTILIZER Effect of seaweed extract on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of soybean (Glycine max) under rainfed condition. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 75: Rath, J. and Adhikary, S. P A check list of algae from Chilika lake, Orissa. Bull. Bot. Surv. Ind 47: Reed, R. H. and Collins, J. C The ionic relation of Porphyra purpurea. Plant Cell Environ. 3: Sahu, J. K. and Adhikary, S. P Distribution of seaweeds in Chilika lake. Seaweed Res.Utiln. 21: Sethi, S. K. and Adhikary, S. P Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on vegetative growth and yield of black gram, brinjal and tomato. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 30: Sethi, S. K. and Adhikary, S. P Effect of region specific Rhizobium in combination with seaweed liquid fertilizer on vegetative growth and yield of Arachis hypogea and Vigna mungo. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 31: 1-8. Selin, K. R. A., Sobita, R. and Premalatha, Y. 2007a. A comparative study on the effect of seagrass and seaweed liquid fertilizer on oxidising enzyme in Zea mays during senescence. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 29: Selin, K. R. A., Effie, A. and Babu, S b. Studies on the effect of seaweed and seagrass liquid fertilizers on the fruit length and weight of Abelmoschus esculentus L.var.hybrid-10. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 29: Sivasankari, S., Chandrasekaran, M., Kannathasan, K. and Venkatesalu, V Effect of seaweed extract on growth and yield of cowpea. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 28: Spinelli, F., Fiori, G., Noferini, M., Sprocatti, M. and Costa, G Perspectives on the use of a seaweed extract to moderate the negative effects of alternate bearing in apple and strawberry. J. Horticut. Sci. Biotnol. Special issue: Sridhar, S. and Rengasamy, R a. Studies on the effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on the flowering plant Tagetes erecta in field trial. Adv. Bioresearch. 1: Sridhar, S. and Ramasamy R b. Significance of seaweed liquid fertilizer for minimizing chemical fertilizers and improving yield of Arachis hypogaea under field trial. Recent Res. Sci. Tech. 2: Thangam, R. T., Rani, S. M. V. and Petermarian, M Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer on the growth and biochemical constituents of Cyamposis tetragonoloba L. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 25: Thevanthan, R., Rajarajan, R. and Bhavani, I. L. G a. Liquid fertilizer preparation of marine macroalgae to enhance the yield and quality of tea. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 27: Thevanthan, R., Dinamani, D. S., Dutta, A. P. and Bhavani, I. L. G. 2005b. Studies on the impact of application of marine algal manure and liquid fertilizer on the liner growth of the seedling of some pulses. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 27: Thevanthan, R., Dinamani, D. S., Dutta, A. P. and Bhavani, I. L. G c. Effect of liquid fertilizer preparation of some marine macroalgae on the growth of rhizobia culture. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 27: Thivy, F Seaweed utilization in India. Proc. Sympos. Algology, ICAR, New Delhi, pp Xavier, G., Anthony, S. and Jesudass, L. L Effect of seaweed extract on cluster bean. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 29: Yuan, V. Y. and Walsh, A. N Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of extracts from variety of edible seaweeds. Food Chemical Toxicol. 44: Zodape, S. T., Kawarhe, V. J., Patolia, J. S. and Warade, A. D Effect of liquid seaweed fertilizer on yield and quality of okra Abelmoschus esculentus L. Seaweed Res. Utiln. 67: Zodape, S. T., Gupta, A. and Bhandari, S. C Foliar application of seaweed sap as biostimulant for enhancement of yield and quality of tomato. J. Sc. Ind. Res. 67:

10 156