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Effect of seaweed concentrate on the establishment and yield of greenhouse tomato plants

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Abstract

Seaweed concentrate prepared fromEcklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss, when applied as a soil drench, significantly improved the growth of tomato seedlings. Application as a foliar spray had no effect on young plants. In a second experiment SWC-treated plants exhibited early fruit ripening and a total fruit fresh weight increase of 17%. The number of harvested fruit were improved by about 10%. In this instance foliar applied SWC was more beneficial than SWC applied to the soil. The significance of these findings is discussed.

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Abbreviations

SWC:

seaweed concentrate

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UN/FRD Research Unit for Plant Growth and Development, Department of Botany, University of Natal, P.O. Box 375, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, Republic of South Africa

    I. J. Crouch & J. Van Staden

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  1. I. J. Crouch
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  2. J. Van Staden
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Crouch, I.J., Van Staden, J. Effect of seaweed concentrate on the establishment and yield of greenhouse tomato plants. J Appl Phycol 4, 291–296 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02185785

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02185785

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