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Description
The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of three brown algae as biofertilizers: Cystoseira gibraltarica, Bifurcaria bifurcate, and Fucus spiralis. Two different types and concentrations of these three algae were applied: aqueous extract concentrations (0.5%, 1%) and amendments (C1, C2). Algal fertilization improved the soil's organic matter and mineral element composition when compared to the control, according to the results of soil analysis for the two greenhouse crops (pepper and tomato). Furthermore, the growth parameters (height, fresh weight, and dry weight of the aerial and root portions) of greenhouse tomato and pepper soils are significantly impacted by the algal fertilization (aqueous extracts and amendments). For tomato growth characteristics, the aqueous extracts of B. bifurcata showed extremely significant values. The height, fresh weight, and dry weight of the pepper plants were significantly impacted by the aqueous extracts of F. spiralis when compared to the control. However, when compared to the tomato crop control, the protein content was greatly increased by the aqueous extracts of the three brown algae. The highest levels were achieved by the aqueous extract of B. bifurcata at 0.5% (33.86 mg/g DM). The presence of aqueous extracts and amendments of the three brown algae generally had a considerable impact on the photosynthetic pigment concentrations of the two vegetable crops. The presence of aqueous extracts and amendments of the three brown algae had a substantial impact on the mineral content of the leaves of the two vegetable crops. It was discovered that these three algae were efficient and suitable candidates for the successful creation of biostimulants to enhance tomato and pepper biochemical parameters, growth, and yield. Important details regarding the identification and use of Moroccan algae resources in agriculture are provided by this study.
Keywords: Biochemical parameters, biofertilization, extract and amendment, growth and mineral composition.
