Growth, yield and quality improvement of potato tubers through the application of seaweed sap derived from the marine alga Kappaphycus alvarezii

• DOI: 10.1007/s10811-017-1189-0
• Publication Date: 2017-06-14T00:43:39Z
• Authors: Biswajit Pramanick; Koushik Brahmachari; B. S. Mahapatra; Arup Ghosh; Dibakar Ghosh; Sudeshna Kar
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 15. Life on land; 6. Clean water; 12. Responsible consumption

Conventional agricultural production systems, coupled with lower productivity of the crops, need to be improved to accomplish sustainable production. It has been realized that any advance in an agricultural system resulting in higher crop production should reduce environmental impacts and enhance the sustainability of the system as a whole. In this context, the use of bio-stimulants in improving the effectiveness of conventional mineral fertilizers may be a good choice. Among many viable options, the use of seaweed extracts containing almost all major and minor plant nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and growth-promoting substances like cytokinins and auxins may be a possible option. Considering these, the present experiment was conducted to find out the impact of Kappaphycus seaweed sap (K-sap) on growth, yield and quality of potato. Different concentrations of Kappaphycus sap (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5%) were sprayed on the foliage of the crop along with a varied dose of fertilizers [50, 75 and100% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF)]. It was observed that the seaweed sap has a significant impact on the growth, yield and quality improvement of the crop. Results suggested that K-sap with the concentration of 7.5% along with 100% of the RDF is the best to improve growth, yield and quality of potato, and this treatment was followed by 5% K-sap + 100% RDF. It was also exhibited that 7.5% K-sap has the potentiality to substitute 25% of the RDF.