ABSTRACT

A rapidly growing world population has highlighted the need to significantly increase food production in the context of a world with accelerating soil and water shortages as well as climatic stressors. This situation has generated new interest in the application of liquid seaweed extracts because of their potent plant growthenhancing properties through metabolic benefits, triggering disease response pathways and increasing stress tolerance. The basis for these benefits is complex and poorly understood. Liquid seaweed extracts are complex and have been demonstrated to possess novel mechanisms for increasing crop productivity. The benefits of seaweed extracts to crops have previously been reviewed in the context of the northern hemisphere, but not in the context of Australia, its crops and unique stressors. This review considers the application of seaweed extracts in Australian agriculture by (i) introducing the history of the Australian liquid seaweed extract industry and (ii) focusing on evidence of Australian research related to seaweed extract composition, plant growth properties during plant establishment, pathogenic disease and new approaches to phenotyping the biological efficacy of seaweed extracts. This type of research is essential for future Australian agriculture to develop effective strategies for the use of liquid seaweed extracts.

Key-words: Biostimulants, Macroalgae, Phenomics, Crops, Pathogens

Scope of review

The purpose of this article is to review the application of seaweed extracts in Australian agriculture by highlighting new and emerging Australian research related to (i) the status of chemical characterisation of seaweed extracts, (ii) the application of seaweed extracts to improve plant establishment and to suppress three plant pathogens, i.e. Albugo candida (the cause of white blister), Plasmodiophora brassicae (which causes clubroot) and Sclerotina minor (the cause of lettuce drop and other diseases) and (iii) the development of new methods for phenotyping the bioefficacy of liquid seaweed extracts.

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