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Development of Sprayable Sodium Alginate-Seaweed Agricultural Mulches with Nutritional Benefits for Substrates and Plants

Waste and Biomass Valorization volume 12, pages 6035–6043 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Sprayable agricultural mulch suspensions were prepared from the combination of sodium alginate (Alg) and three different concentrations of the seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (A) microparticles: 0.5, 1, and 2 wt%. Growth parameters were measured in tomato plants cultivated under each type of mulches, including polyethylene (PE) as a control treatment. The aerial fresh and dry weights (FW and DW, respectively), chlorophyll (Chl) content, green canopy cover, and the anthocyanin content were determined in tomato plants at the end of the bioassays. The soil temperature and moisture were measured during the experiment. Besides, the impact of the different mulch treatments on soil microorganisms was assayed by measuring the relative abundance of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Results indicated that the percentage of A in the mulch formulation was crucial to confer it with biostimulant properties. Alg with 1 wt% of A provided a significant increment in FW and DW and the Chl level of tomato plants, demonstrating that the developed formulations represent a useful material for horticulture production.

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Abbreviations

A:

Undaria pinnatifida Algae microparticles

Alg:

Sodium alginate

Gly:

Glycerol

PE:

Polyethylene

FW:

Fresh weight

DW:

Dry weight

SWC:

Soil water content

Chl:

Chlorophyll

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the National Research Council (CONICET), Agencia Nacional de Promoción de la Investigación, el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (Agencia I+D+i), Argentina and the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Mar del Plata, Argentina.

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Author notes

  1. Danila Merino

    Present address: Smart Materials Group, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy

  2. Danila Merino and María F. Salcedo have contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Materiales Compuestos Termoplásticos (CoMP), Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP) y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Colón 10850, PO Box B7608FLC, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Danila Merino & Vera A. Alvarez

  2. Grupo de Fisiología del Estrés en Plantas, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB), UE CONICET-UNMDP, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Deán Funes 3250, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    María F. Salcedo, Andrea Y. Mansilla & Claudia A. Casalongué

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Merino, D., Salcedo, M.F., Mansilla, A.Y. et al. Development of Sprayable Sodium Alginate-Seaweed Agricultural Mulches with Nutritional Benefits for Substrates and Plants. Waste Biomass Valor 12, 6035–6043 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-021-01441-x

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Keywords

  • Algal microparticle
  • Biodegradable
  • Biostimulant
  • Mulch
  • Tomato