The power of seaweeds as plant biostimulants to boost crop production under abiotic stress

Abiotic stresses like drought and salinity are major factors resulting in crop yield losses and soil degradation worldwide. To meet increasing food demands, we must improve crop productivity, especially under increasing abiotic stresses due to climate change. Recent studies suggest that seaweed‐base...

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Published inPlant, cell and environment Vol. 45; no. 9; pp. 2537 - 2553
Main Authors Deolu‐Ajayi, Ayodeji O., Meer, Ingrid M., Werf, Adrie, Karlova, Rumyana
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2022
Subjects
Algae
Bioactive compounds
Climate change
Crop production
crop productivity
Crop yield
Crops
Drought
mechanism of action
Molecular modelling
Nutrient uptake
Polyphenols
Polysaccharides
protein transition
Saccharides
seaweed biostimulants
Seaweeds
Soil degradation
Stresses
sustainable agriculture
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Summary:Abiotic stresses like drought and salinity are major factors resulting in crop yield losses and soil degradation worldwide. To meet increasing food demands, we must improve crop productivity, especially under increasing abiotic stresses due to climate change. Recent studies suggest that seaweed‐based biostimulants could be a solution to this problem. Here, we summarize the current findings of using these biostimulants and highlight current knowledge gaps. Seaweed extracts were shown to enhance nutrient uptake and improve growth performance in crops under stressed and normal conditions. Seaweed extracts contain several active compounds, for example, polysaccharides, polyphenols and phytohormones. Although some of these compounds have growth‐promoting properties on plants, the molecular mechanisms that underly seaweed extract action remain understudied. In this paper, we review the role of these extracts and their bioactive compounds as plant biostimulants. The targeted application of seaweed extract to improve crop performance and protein accumulation is also discussed. Can we produce enough food to feed the increasing human population in the next decades without increasing arable land use and loss of biodiversity? Here, we highlight the benefits of seaweed extracts as crop biostimulants.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
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ISSN:0140-7791
1365-3040
DOI:10.1111/pce.14391