Biostimulant Effect of Marine Macroalgae Bioextract on Pepper Grown in Greenhouse

Abstract

Marine macroalgae are a vast source of raw materials and biologically active molecules used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and agricultural industries. The search for a food free of chemical residues by consumers has led producers to use environmentally friendly and economically viable products as they are a source of natural compounds, forming a new and promising area of study. In this context, concentrated marine algae extracts (CMAEs) are an important alternative in this production model. This work aimed to evaluate the e ects of CMAEs as biostimulants in plant metabolism, promotion of growth, development and production of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivated in a greenhouse. This work was carried out from 24 June to 30 October 2019. The number of leaves, plant length, fresh and dry plant mass, root length, root fresh and dry mass, fruit production and the metabolic performance were evaluated. The results of the stomatal conductance of pepper plants, production and biofortification were related with the levels of nutrients absorbed by the plant, which reflected the e ect of the applied biostimulant. The dose that showed the most promising results was the 0.5% concentration of CMAEs.