Biostimulant effects of brown seaweed extract (Sargassum polycystum) on the growth and yield of pigmented upland rice (Oryza sativa cv Tadong)

Siti Zaleha Abd Tahar; Noumie Surugau; How Siew Eng; Wei-Hsiang Tan; Lum Mok Sam.

Seaweed and its derivatives serve as natural sources of bioactive compounds widely used as biostimulants in agricultural practices to augment plant growth and boost productivity. Tadong rice, a pigmented upland rice variety, is becoming increasingly favoured by consumers in Malaysia, attributed to its perceived health benefits. However, limited commercialization of Tadong rice is attributed to its low grain yield. The present work aimed to address these concerns by utilizing plant biostimulants derived from seaweed, which represents a more environmentally friendly alternative. Seaweed extract (SE) of a brown seaweed species (Sargassum polycystum) was applied to Tadong rice plants at different concentrations (20, 40, 60, and 80%) via foliar application, along with the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) in an insect-proof net house. Additionally, one commercial liquid biofertilizer and one control treatment (distilled water) were tested for comparison. The growth and yield of Tadong rice were evaluated along with numerous variables. The results demonstrated that S. polycystum at a 20% concentration had a favorable impact on several growth and yield parameters of Tadong rice. The treatment increased plant height, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, tiller number, panicle number/plant, 1000-grain weight, and yield/plant of Tadong rice (5.73 to 44.11% higher) compared to the control treatment. This study demonstrates that applying SE through foliar applications can boost the growth and yield of pigmented upland rice, providing advantages for upland rice farmers and making a positive contribution to sustainable agriculture and food security. The use of the 20% concentration of SE is particularly notable from an economic perspective, as it achieves these benefits with a lower amount of material compared to higher concentration.

KEYWORDS: Biostimulants; Sargassum polycystum; seaweed extract; rice plant; growth; yield



Download this PDF file

REFERENCES

1. Abbas, M., Anwar, J., Zafar-ul-Hye, M., Iqbal Khan, R., Saleem, M., Rahi, A. A., Danish, S. & Datta, R. 2020 Effect of seaweed extract on productivity and quality attributes of four onion cultivars. Horticulturae, 6(2), 28.
2. Ali, O., Ramsubhag, A. & Jayaraman, J. 2021. Biostimulant Properties of Seaweed Extracts in Plants: Implications towards Sustainable Crop Production. Plants, 10(3), 531.
3. Andjelković, M., Van Camp, J., De Meulenaer, B., Depaemelaere, G., Socaciu, C., Verloo, M. & Verhe, R. 2006. Iron-chelation properties of phenolic acids bearing catechol and galloyl groups. Food chemistry, 98(1), 23-31.
4. Anis, F. & Farhana, R. 2023. Rethinking self sufficiency as a measure of food security. Permodalan Nasional Berhad Research Institute (PNBRI) Views.
5. Anisuzzaman, M., Rafii, M. Y., Jaafar, N. M., Izan Ramlee, S., Ikbal, M. F. & Haque, M. A. 2021. Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield components of traditional and improved rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes in Malaysia. Agronomy, 11(9), 1830.
6. Arun, D. P. K. G., Gayathri, P. K., Chandran, M., & Yuvaraj, D. 2014. Studies on the effect of seaweed extracts on crop plants and microbes. International Journal of ChemTech Research, 6(9), 4235-4240.
7. Binenbaum, J., Weinstain, R. & Shani, E. 2018. Gibberellin localization and transport in plants. Trends in plant science, 23(5), 410-421.
8. Carrasco-Gil, S., Allende-Montalbán, R., Hernández-Apaolaza, L. & Lucena, J. J. 2021. Application of seaweed organic components increases tolerance to Fe deficiency in tomato plants. Agronomy, 11(3), 507.
9. Chojnacka, K., Saeid, A., Witkowska, Z. & Tuhy, L. 2012. Biologically active compounds in seaweed extracts-the prospects for the application. The Open Conference Proceedings Journal, 3(Suppl 1-M4), 20-28.
10. Colombo, F., Cappa, C., Bani, C., Magni, M., Biella, S., Restani, P. & Di Lorenzo, C. 2023. Characterization of colour, phenolic profile, and antioxidant activity of Italian pigmented rice varieties after different technological treatments. Food Bioscience, 53, 102674.
11. Dardak, R. A. 2022. Overview of the agriculture sector during the 11th Malaysian development plan (2016–2020). FFTC Agricultural Policy Platform.
12. DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs). 2019. United Nation, World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER. A/423).
13. Divya, K., Roja, N. M. & Padal, S. B. 2015. Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer of Sargassum wightii on germination, growth and productivity of brinjal. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 2(10), 868–871.
14. EL Boukhari, M. E., Barakate, M., Bouhia, Y. & Lyamlouli, K. 2020. Trends in seaweed extract based biostimulants: Manufacturing process and beneficial effect on soil-plant systems. Plants, 9(3), 359.
15. Elavarasan, E., Padmavathi, S., Satheeshkumar, P., Suganthi, S. & Kamaraj, A. 2021. Role of seaweed extract application on physiological planting value of rice (Oryza sativa L.). International Journal of Botany Studies, 6(2), 172-174.
16. Ghaderiardakani, F., Collas, E., Damiano, D. K., Tagg, K., Graham, N. S. & Coates, J. C. 2019. Effects of green seaweed extract on Arabidopsis early development suggest roles for hormone signalling in plant responses to algal fertilisers. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-13.
17. Godlewska, K., Michalak, I., Tuhy, Ł. & Chojnacka, K. 2016. Plant growth biostimulants based on different methods of seaweed extraction with water. BioMed research international, 2016.
18. Hassan, M. U., Aamer, M., Chattha, M. U., Haiying, T., Shahzad, B., Barbanti, L., Nawaz, M., Rasheed, A., Afzal, A., Liu, Y. & Guoqin, H. 2020. The critical role of zinc in plants facing the drought stress. Agriculture (Switzerland), 10(9), 1–20.
19. Hassan, S. M., Ashour, M., Sakai, N., Zhang, L., Hassanien, H. A., Gaber, A. & Ammarr, G. A. G. 2021. Impact of seaweed liquid extract biostimulant on growth, yield, and chemical composition of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Agriculture (Switzerland), 11(4), 1–16.
20. Ito, V. C. & Lacerda, L. G. 2019. Black rice (Oryza sativa L.): A review of its historical aspects, chemical composition, nutritional and functional properties, and applications and processing technologies. Food chemistry, 301, 125304.
21. Jupri, A., Fanani, R. A., Syafitri, S. M., Mayshara, S., Nurijawati, Pebriani, S. A. & Sunarpi, H. 2019. Growth and yield of rice plants sprayed with Sargassum polycystum extracted with different of concentration. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2199, 070009.
22. Khan, W., Rayirath, U. P., Subramanian, S., Jithesh, M. N., Rayorath, P., Hodges, D. M., Critchley, A. T., Craigie, J. S., Norrie, J. & Prithiviraj, B. 2009. Seaweed extracts as biostimulants of plant growth and development. In Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 28(4), 386–399.
23. Lawlor, D. W. 2002. Carbon and nitrogen assimilation in relation to yield: Mechanisms are the key to understanding production systems. Journal of Experimental Botany, 53(370), 773–787.
24. Layek, J., Das, A., Idapuganti, R. G., Sarkar, D., Ghosh, A., Zodape, S. T., Lal, R., Yadav, G. S., Panwar, A. S., Ngachan, S., & Meena, R. S. 2018. Seaweed extract as organic bio-stimulant improves productivity and quality of rice in eastern Himalayas. Journal of Applied Phycology, 30(1), 547–558.
25. Ling, A. L. M., Yasir, S., Matanjun, P. & Abu Bakar, M. F. 2013. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of selected commercial seaweeds of Sabah. Malaysia. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Phytopharmacological Research, 3, 234-8.
26. Ling, A. L. M., Yasir, S., Matanjun, P. & Bakar, M. F. A. 2015. Effect of different drying techniques on the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of Kappaphycus alvarezii. Journal of Applied Phycology, 27(4), 1717-1723.
27. Malhotra, H., Vandana, Sharma, S. & Pandey, R. 2018. Phosphorus nutrition: plant growth in response to deficiency and exces. In: Hasanuzzaman, M., Fujita, M., Oku, H., Nahar, K., Hawrylak-Nowak, B. (eds). Plant Nutrients and Abiotic Stress Tolerance. Springer, Singapore. pp 171-190.
28. Mau, J. L., Lee, C. C., Chen, Y. P. & Lin, S. D. 2017. Physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory characteristics of chiffon cake prepared with black rice as replacement for wheat flour. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 75, 434–439.
29. Nabti, E., Jha, B. & Hartmann, A. 2017. Impact of seaweeds on agricultural crop production as biofertilizer, Center for Environmental and Energy Research and Studies. In International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 14(5), 1119–1134.
30. Nelson, W. R. & Van Staden, J. 1984. The effect of seaweed concentrate on wheat culms. Journal of plant physiology, 115(5), 433-437.
31. Neoh, Y. Y., Matanjun, P. & Lee, J. S. 2021. Effects of Various Drying Processes on Malaysian Brown Seaweed, Sargassum polycystum Pertaining to Antioxidants Content and Activity. Transactions on Science and Technology, 8(1), 25-37.
32. Nibau, C., Gibbs, D. J. & Coates, J. C. 2008. Branching out in new directions: the control of root architecture by lateral root formation. New Phytologist, 179(3), 595-614.
33. Perilli, S., Moubayidin, L. & Sabatini, S. 2010. The molecular basis of cytokinin function. Current opinion in plant biology, 13(1), 21-26.
34. Pramanick, B., Brahmachari, K. & Ghosh, A. 2014. Efficacy of Kappaphycus and Gracilaria sap on growth and yield improvement of sesame in new alluvial soil. Journal of Crop and Weed, 10(1), 77-81.
35. Rahman, M. M., Lee, K. E. & Kang, S. G. 2015. Studies on the effects of pericarp pigmentation on grain development and yield of black rice. Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 75(4), 426-433.
36. Rajamoorthy, Y. & Munusamy, S. 2015. Rice industry in Malaysia: Challenges, policies and implications. Procedia Economics and Finance, 31, 861-867.
37. Rimayani, S., Aneloi Noli, Z. & Bakhtiar, A. 2022. Effect of Seaweed Extract from Water, Methanol, and Ethanol Extraction as Biostimulant on Growth and Yield of Upland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Ultisol. International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies, 30(2), 449–455.
38. Rou, E. K. S. & Lum, M. S. 2020. Priming Effects on Seed Germination of Tadong Upland Rice Collected in Sabah, Malaysia. Transactions on Science and Technology, 7(3-2), 147-158.
39. Senthuran, S., Balasooriya, B. L. W. K., Arasakesary, S. J. & Gnanavelrajah, N. 2019. Effect of seaweed extract (Kappaphycus alvarezii) on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of leafy vegetable amaranthus polygamous. Tropical Agricultural Research, 30(3), 81-88.
40. Shaughnessy, B. K., Jackson, B. P. & Byrnes, J. E. 2023. Evidence of elevated heavy metals concentrations in wild and farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) in New England. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 17644.
41. Shemi, R., Wang, R., Gheith, E. S. M., Hussain, H. A., Hussain, S., Irfan, M., Cholidah, L., Zhang, K., Zhang, S. & Wang, L. 2021. Effects of salicylic acid, zinc and glycine betaine on morpho-physiological growth and yield of maize under drought stress. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1-14.
42. Sinton, F. V., Sam, L. M., Benedick, S. & Jalloh, M. B. 2019. Evaluation of the yield of upland rice varieties under open field trial. Transactions on Science and Technology, 6(2-2), 253-258.
43. Sompong, R., Siebenhandl-Ehn, S., Linsberger-Martin, G. & Berghofer, E. 2011. Physicochemical and antioxidative properties of red and black rice varieties from Thailand, China and Sri Lanka. Food Chemistry, 124(1), 132–140.
44. Sriyuni, O., Mansyurdin, M., Izmiarti, T. & Noli, Z. A. 2020. Application of Seaweed Extract Sargassum cristaefolium and amino acid to growth and yield of upland rice (Oryza Sativa L.). International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9(3), 2014-2018.
45. Statistics Times. 2021. Population of Malaysia. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.
46. Sunarpi, H., Nikmatullah, A., Sunarwidhi, A. L., Ambana, Y., Ilhami, B. T. K., Widyastuti, S., Hernawan. A. & Prasedya, E. S. 2020a. Effect of Solid and Liquid Extracts of Lombok Sargassum cristafolium on Growth and Yield of Rice Plants (Oryza sativa L.). Jurnal Biologi Tropis, 20(3), 320-328.
47. Sunarpi, H., Nikmatullah, A., Sunarwidhi, A. L., Sapitri, I., Ilhami, B. T. K., Widyastuti, S. & Prasedya, E. S. 2020b. Growth and yield of rice plants (Oryza sativa) grown in soil media containing several doses of inorganic fertilizers and sprayed with Lombok brown algae extracts. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 594, 012032.
48. Sunarpi, H., Pebriani, S. A., Ambana, Y., Putri, F. E., Nikmatullah, A., Ghazali, M., Kurnianingsih, R. & Prasedya, E. S. 2019. Effect of inorganic fertilizer and brown alga solid ectract on growth and yield of rice plants. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2199(1), 070006.
49. Sunarpi, S., Jupri, A., Kurnianingsih, R., Julisaniah, N. I. & Nikmatullah, A. 2010. Effect of seaweed extracts on growth and yield of rice plants. Nusantara Bioscie., 2(2), 73-77.
50. Tang, Y., Cai, W. & Xu, B. 2016. From rice bag to table: Fate of phenolic chemical compositions and antioxidant activities in waxy and non-waxy black rice during home cooking. Food Chemistry, 191, 81–90.
51. Tarakhovskaya, E. R., Maslov, Y. I. & Shishova, M. F. 2007. Phytohormones in algae. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 54(2), 163–170.
52. Thanuja, B. & Parimalavalli, R. 2018. Role of black rice in health and diseases. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 8, 241-248.
53. Thatcher, A., Waterson, P., Todd, A. & Moray, N. 2018. State of Science: ergonomics and global issues. Ergonomics, 61(2), 197–213.
54. Thor, K. 2019. Calcium—nutrient and messenger. Frontiers in plant science, 10, 440.
55. Vasantharaja, R., Abraham, L. S., Inbakandan, D., Thirugnanasambandam, R., Senthilvelan, T., Jabeen, S. A. & Prakash, P. 2019. Influence of seaweed extracts on growth, phytochemical contents and antioxidant capacity of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp). Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 17, 589-594.
56. Wally, O. S., Critchley, A. T., Hiltz, D., Craigie, J. S., Han, X., Zaharia, L. I., Abrams, S. R. & Prithiviraj, B. 2013. Regulation of phytohormone biosynthesis and accumulation in Arabidopsis following treatment with commercial extract from the marine macroalga Ascophyllum nodosum. Journal of plant growth regulation, 32(2), 324-339.
57. Yusuf, R., Bahrudin, Mas’ud, H., Syakur, A., Afriana, D. S., Kalaba, Y. & Kristiansen, P. 2020. Application of local seaweed extracts on growth and yield of mustard greens (Brassica juncea L.). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 484, 012066.