💡We have been learning about the main constituents of ecklonia maxima and ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extracts, their functions as biostimulants, and their advantages in terms of controlling plant growth and improving plant performance under stress. When applied to plants, they often seem to have comparable effects, although there are some important distinctions between these 2 commonly utilised seaweed species.
🚜Our mission is to provide you with the information you need to make an educated choice about the type of seaweed products to use at any given stage of plant development while taking into account the species from which the extract was derived.
🌿Ecklonia Maxima
🎯Regulation of plant growth:
Due to the influence of a larger concentration of auxins, direct stimulation of lateral root growth and an increase in root mass are produced. These characteristics are particularly crucial during fruiting to boost nutrition and water uptake.
During the early stages of plant development, it is recommended to use seaweed products with higher concentration of natural Auxins.
At fruit growth stages, seaweed products with higher concentration of natural Auxins are best to guarantee the overall quality of the fruit
🌱Nutritional composition:
Richer in natural auxins and other plant hormones, stimulants, plant steroids and phenolic compounds. but has very low concentration of Cytokinns hormones. The extracts have a wide constitution of amino acids and micro and macro elements.
Also, it has been demonstrated that Ecklonia Maxima enhances photosynthetic activity by increasing chlorophyll levels in plant tissue and favourably influences natural plant defence systems against biotic stress.
Breakdown of beneficial ingredients:
phytohormones (auxins, cytokines, gibberellins, jasmonic and abscisic acids),
polysaccharides: e.g. alginic acids, fucoidan,️
pigments: e.g. fucoxanthin,️
antioxidants: phenols & phlorotannins,️
amino acids,
macro- and microelements.
🌿Ascophyllum Nodosum
🎯Regulation of plant growth:
Increased cytokinin and gibberellin levels have the direct effect of stimulating vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit setting.
Seaweeds that are relatively high in cytokinns are advised for excellent vegetation, blooming, and fruit sets as the plant progresses from vegetative to fruit setting.
🌱Nutritional composition:
Ascophyllum Nodosum is more concentrated in macronutrients, micronutrients, and cytokine hormones. A few additional unique ingredients are mannitol, vitamins, betaine, alginic acid, and amino acids.
🔎Summary:
They both have strong effect in helping cope with biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The key is knowing the current phenological stage of the crop and applying the recommendations found in first role of this article in order to achieve the best result and value from applications.
📜 According to the meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Plant Science, there are some differences in nutrient and hormonal attributes as well as the effect on soil and plants between Ascophyllum nodosum (AN) and Ecklonia maxima (EM) seaweed extracts. Here are some key findings:
🌿Nutrient Content: AN extract has higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compared to EM extract. However, EM extract has higher levels of calcium and magnesium.
🩺Hormonal Attributes: AN extract has higher levels of cytokinins (hormones that promote cell division) and gibberellins (hormones that promote stem and leaf growth) compared to EM extract. On the other hand, EM extract has higher levels of auxins (plant growth hormones) and abscisic acid (hormone that regulates plant stress responses).
🪴Soil and Plant Effects: AN and EM extract has been shown to increase soil microbial activity, improve soil structure, and enhance plant growth and yield. EM extract has been shown to improve plant stress tolerance, increase root growth, and enhance plant growth and yield.
🔎In conclusion, both AN and EM seaweed extracts have their unique nutrient and hormonal attributes, and they can have positive effects on soil and plant growth. However, the specific benefits may vary depending on the plant species, environmental conditions, and application method.