Combining seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum with nutrients enhances stalk yield when applied in the dry season during sugarcane development

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important crop grown for the production of sugar, ethanol, and other by-products. The cultivation cycle from planting until harvesting usually takes at least a year, during which the plant is exposed to various environmental stress conditions. To improve tolerance to such stressful conditions, sugarcane plants can be treated with biostimulants, such as extracts from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum. Whether the application of such a biostimulant, alone or in combination with nutrients, improves stress resistance in sugarcane is unknown. In this study, we conducted two field trials: one in a cane-plant field and one in a ratoon field, with treatments applied to leaves during the fall (before the dry season) or spring (positive water balance in the soil). The treatments consisted of foliar application of nitrogen, potassium, boron, and zinc, provided alone (nutrient treatment) or together with A. nodosum extract (biostimulant treatment) and a control treatment (without foliar application). Overall, foliar application of biostimulant increased sugarcane stalk yield by 24 Mg ha−1 and sucrose yield by 4 Mg Pol ha−1 compared to nutrient treatment. In addition, agronomic efficiency and nutrient accumulation were higher in plants under biostimulant treatment compared to nutrient and control treatments. Therefore, the foliar application of A. nodosum extracts to sugarcane leaves is a promising strategy for improving drought tolerance, yield, and the nutritional status of the stalk.

Keywords

• Stalk yield
• Biostimulants
• Agronomic efficiency
• Macronutrients
• Micronutrients
• Environmental stress