DOI: https://doi.org/10.21276/AATCCReview.2025.13.03.97

Abstract

The increasing reliance on inorganic, chemical fertilizers to meet the global food
demands has posed a significant threat to human health and the environment. However, there
has been a continuous search for eco-friendly alternatives. Recently, a sustainable alternative
in the form of seaweed-based bio-fertilizers has garnered considerable attention for their
nutrient-rich nature and ease of application. Generally, the seaweeds are classified into red,
green, and brown algae, and all of them can be used to prepare seaweed extracts. They are
rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and plant growth regulators like auxins
and cytokinins etc. Their application in agriculture has been linked to significant
improvements in growth, yield, and quality parameters of various crop plants by different
researchers. They are particularly useful in vegetable crops and hence can be used to enhance
vegetable production worldwide. They have been found quite useful across a variety of
vegetable crops. Seaweed extracts are commercially available in their liquid, powder, or
granular forms, which are shown to have a variety of benefits, like improvement in nutrient
uptake, stimulation of soil microbiota, and boosting of antioxidant properties. Further, the
seaweed extracts are also effective in mitigating both biotic and abiotic stress in vegetable
crops, including drought, salinity, temperature extremes, insect pests, and plant pathogens, by
improving plant defence responses and improving their physiology to enhance stress
resilience. Commercially important seaweeds are harvested from coastal regions, where the
setting up of such industries is more economical. Various studies consistently demonstrate
that integrating the use of seaweed extracts as bio-stimulants with conventional fertilizers can
enhance crop performance with reduced environmental concerns. However, there have been
some challenges in their application and dosage optimizations, on a plant-to-plant bases. The
present review proposes seaweed extracts as non-toxic, bio-degradable bio-stimulants as a
promising solution for achieving sustainably in agriculture and improving global vegetable
production for ensuring the nutritional security of the increasing human population.

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