Impact of Commercial Seaweed Liquid Extract (TAM<sup>®</sup>) Biostimulant and Its Bioactive Molecules on Growth and Antioxidant Activities of Hot Pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i>)

Bioactive molecules derived from seaweed extracts are revolutionary bio-stimulants used to enhance plant growth and increase yield production. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a commercially available seaweed liquid extract, namely, True-Algae-Max (TAM<sup>®</sup>), as a plant g...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mohamed Ashour, Shimaa M. Hassan, Mostafa E. Elshobary, Gamal A. G. Ammar, Ahmed Gaber, Walaa F. Alsanie, Abdallah Tageldein Mansour, Rania El-Shenody
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/6/1045
Description
Summary:Bioactive molecules derived from seaweed extracts are revolutionary bio-stimulants used to enhance plant growth and increase yield production. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a commercially available seaweed liquid extract, namely, True-Algae-Max (TAM<sup>®</sup>), as a plant growth stimulant on nutritional, and antioxidant activity of <i>Capsicum annuum</i>. Three concentrations of TAM<sup>®</sup> (0.25, 0.5, and 1%) of various NPK: TAM<sup>®</sup> ratios were investigated via foliar spray, over 2017 and 2018 cultivation seasons, under greenhouse conditions. TAM<sup>®</sup> is rich in phytochemical compounds, such as ascorbic acid (1.66 mg g<sup>−1</sup>), phenolics (101.67 mg g<sup>−1</sup>), and flavonoids (2.60 mg g<sup>−1</sup>) that showed good antioxidant activity (54.52 mg g<sup>−1</sup>) and DPPH inhibition of 70.33%. Promoting measured parameter results stated the extensive potentiality of TAM<sup>®</sup> application, in comparison with conventional NPK treatment. Yield and composition of <i>C. annuum</i> were significantly improved in all TAM<sup>®</sup> treated groups, especially the TAM<sub>0.5%</sub> concentration, which resulted in maximum yield (4.23 Kg m<sup>−2</sup>) and significant amounts of profuse biological molecules like chlorophyll, ascorbic, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and total nutrients. Compared to the NPK control treatments, <i>C. annuum</i> treated with TAM<sub>0.5%</sub> improved the total antioxidant activity of hot Pepper from 162.16 to 190.95 mg g<sup>−1</sup>. These findings indicate that the extract of seaweed can be used as an environmentally friendly, multi-functional biostimulant in the agricultural field for more sustainable production, in addition to reducing the use of hazardous synthetic fertilizers.
ISSN:2223-7747