The use of seaweeds in agriculture has remote origins: their first documented purposes date back to Ancient Rome. In European coastal areas, after their washing, seaweeds were used to add organic substances to the ground, by taking advantage of their soil improving and nourishing actions.
In recent years, new studies and experimental tests have proved that fertilizers based on seaweed extracts not only provide nutrients, but they also have a biostimulant action on plants natural processes.
The benefits of using seaweed extracts in agriculture
Depending on their species, the seaweeds used in agriculture contain many nutrients and have different characteristics. In general, their extracts:
- augment the resistance against abiotic stresses
- contrast micronutrients deficiencies
- strengthen the activity of enzymes against oxidative stress
- enhance root development and resistance to drought
- increase the germinability
- improve the color and file of flowers
- extend the shelf life of products
- increase the overall quality and yields
How to choose the right biostimulant
The processing of raw materials, such as seaweeds, is very important to obtain a quality product to be used in agriculture,
Among the most widespread ones there’s Ascophyllum nodosum, present in many Hydro Fert products mainly promoting plants growth, in particular Alga Mix and Bialga 15.
This is a brown seaweed that reproduces itself on the Pacific Ocean coasts which, in order to survive against the toughest environmental stress conditions, has developed substances with high antistress features over the years.
Besides, Ecklonia maxima, coming from the rocky bottoms of the South Africa seas, contained for instance in the biostimulant Hydroalga, is rich in micronutrients, vitamins, polysaccharides and auxins (natural hormones essential for the morphological development of plants).
Last, the seaweeds Sargassum and Laminaria, mainly from the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, are the basis of Gran Foliar line, products with Macronutrients, able to support all the different vegetative phases of plants.
The use of seaweed extracts in fertilizers thus allows to increase yields in a sustainable way, preserving natural resources and reducing the negative impact that plantations can have on the environment.
In order to choose the most suitable product based on the types of crop, doses and application rates, Hydro Fert technicians are always available to the customers, for nourishing the plants in the best way and growing together.
