Abstract:
Due to the increasing levels of the world population, the demand for agricultural
products has also increased over the years. Enhancing the yield and nutrient content of
food products is therefore an important aspect in the current context. Experiments were
conducted at both lab-scale and field level with extractions from Sargassum sp., to
assess the growth of the plant, crop production, and nutrient content of Vigna radiata.
A lab-scale experiment was conducted to identify and distinguish the germination
percentage and seedling vigor of Sargassum treated and non-treated seeds. This
included the application of a concentration series of polysaccharides and a
concentration series of crude seaweed extract. The highest germination percentage was
observed at 8% polysaccharide content and 15% liquid seaweed extraction (LSE)
content resulting in 14% and 8% of germination increment against the control. When
increasing the polysaccharide and LSE content exceeding the above-stated values,
germination rate and seedling vigor dropped. When applied as foliar applications, an
increment of pods against the control showed an increment of 28%, which is the
maximum increment reached the 10% LSE concentration. With the polysaccharide
application, the maximum yield increment was 31% with 10% concentration. Also, the
dry weight content of seeds and the number of pods per plant and seed per pod have
increased considerably. Further, both polysaccharide and LSE applications have
increased the micronutrient and protein content in seeds. Therefore, it is recommended
to use the LSE at 15% concentration and polysaccharide at 8% concentration at the
germination stage and as a foliar application to increase the yield and nutrient content
of the Vigna radiata plant.
