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Marine plants are emerging as versatile resources for bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Beyond their therapeutic potential, marine extracts offer agronomic and industrial value as biostimulants, natural pigments, biodegradable packaging materials, and green corrosion inhibitors, and serve as reducing agents in the synthesis of biomedical nanoparticles. This review integrates evidence from 256 studies (2011–2025), revealing rapid growth in the field over the past two years. The findings highlight the capacity of marine extracts to enhance crop and livestock productivity, yield stable natural dyes, create smart polysaccharide-based films, and protect metals via phenolic and sulfated polysaccharide fractions. Nanoparticles synthesized from these extracts exhibit improved biological performance. By linking agricultural, industrial, and biomedical perspectives, this work underscores the multifaceted potential of marine plant extracts and outlines future priorities in molecular characterization, strain development, and scalable green processing.

The nutrient uptake, growth, and biochemical changes of the red seaweed Gracilaria corticata var. cylindrica, treated with Ascophyllum marine plant extract powder (AMPEP) (0.1 g L−1, 30 min) was, estimated after in vitro cultivation with inorganic synthetic chemical media for 14 days, to evaluate its potential for biofiltration in aquaculture systems. The time course nutrient uptake study demonstrated the impact of G. corticata var. cylindrica on ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate depletion in incubation media. The results indicated that AMPEP-treated seaweed influenced the depletion rate of all three nutrients, with maximum ammonia and nitrate depletion occurring after approximately 48 h and relatively stable phosphate levels over time (nutrient uptake rate). The maximum uptake of 270 μM g− 1 DW h− 1 of ammonium was observed, followed by nitrate (58.13 μM g− 1 DW h− 1) and phosphate (19.58 μM g− 1 DW h− 1). Seaweed fragments with 32 µg ml− 1 of phosphate showed a higher significant growth rate (2.41 ± 0.07% day− 1) than the control. The highest (1365.29 ± 78.61 µg g− 1) carbohydrate content was observed in 250 µg ml− 1 concentration of ammonia. The concentration of 128 µg ml− 1 of nitrate showed the highest (521.60 ± 50.5 µg g− 1) protein content. However, at 175 µg ml− 1 ammonia, the highest levels of R-phycocyanin (152.46 ± 28 µg g− 1) and R-phycoerythrin (237.19 ± 36.1 µg g− 1) were observed. Results show that the nutrient treatment positively affects G. corticata var. cylindrica growth and development and changes the biochemical composition, especially in carbohydrate, protein, and pigment concentration. G. corticata var. cylindrica has tremendous potential to be used in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture and reduce organic matter loading into the marine environment.

Seaweed extracts (SWE) are widely used to improve plant growth, fruit quality, and stress tolerance. However, the functional link between the complex composition of algal-based products and their mechanisms of action has been only marginally addressed. A greenhouse experiment was performed on Microtom tomato plants in order to evaluate the effect of two Ascophyllum nodosum-based algal derivatives, Rygex (R) and Super Fifty (SF), on a tomato exposed to salinity (0, 42.5, and 85 mM NaCl) and normal and reduced nutrient availability (100 and 70% of the standard regimen). Bioactive compounds, with possible beneficial effects on growth and stress adaptation, were characterized via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). Enhanced growth of 13% was observed with Super Fifty treatment under a full-strength nutritional regimen, independent of the salinity treatment. Although Rygex and Super Fifty treatments did not significantly enhance plant growth and yield under salt treatment, they enhanced the accumulation of minerals, antioxidants, and essential amino acids in tomato fruits, with an overall improvement in nutritional value. Overall, SWE may affect and ameliorate different aspects of nutrition and stress tolerance and thus contribute to the sustainability of agricultural systems. Elucidating the link between bioactive compounds in SWE and plant responses will be critical to characterizing the mechanism of action of SWE.

This study investigated the effects of seaweed extract (SWE) made from the brown algae Durvillaea potatorum and Ascophyllum nodosum on plants and soil. The application of SWE to soil growing tomato plants showed dual effects. SWE comprehensively improved tomato plant growth (flower clusters, flower number, fruit number, root length, root and shoot dry weight, SPAD) and increased plant productivity (yield and quality). Similarly, SWE application effected soil biology at the soil root zone by increasing total bacterial count and available soil nitrogen and impacting bacterial community diversity with an increase in certain bacterial families linked to soil health. A broader understanding of the effects of SWE on the plant-soil ecosystem may offer breakthrough approaches for sustainable food production.

Microalgae represent a potential sustainable alternative for the enhancement and protection of agricultural crops. Cellular extracts and dry biomass of the green alga Acutodesmus dimorphus were applied as a seed primer, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, to evaluate seed germination, plant growth, and fruit production in Roma tomato plants. A. dimorphus culture, culture growth medium, and different concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) of aqueous cell extracts in distilled water were used as seed primers to determine effects on germination. Seeds treated with A. dimorphus culture and with extract concentrations higher than 50 % (0.75 g mL⁻¹) triggered faster seed germination—2 days earlier than the control group. The aqueous extracts were also applied as foliar fertilizers at various concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) on tomato plants. Extract foliar application at 50 % (3.75 g mL⁻¹) concentration resulted in increased plant height and greater numbers of flowers and branches per plant. Two dry biomass treatments (50 and 100 g) were applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant and at the time of transplant to assess whether the timing of the biofertilizer application influenced the effectiveness of the biofertilizer. Biofertilizer treatments applied 22 days prior to seedling transplant enhanced plant growth, including greater numbers of branches and flowers, compared to the control group and the biofertilizer treatments applied at the time of transplant. The A. dimorphus culture, cellular extract, and dry biomass applied as a biostimulant, foliar spray, and biofertilizer, respectively, were able to trigger faster germination and enhance plant growth and floral production in Roma tomato plants.

A rapidly growing world population has highlighted the need to significantly increase food production in the context of a world with accelerating soil and water shortages as well as climatic stressors. This situation has generated new interest in the application of liquid seaweed extracts because of their potent plant growth-enhancing properties through metabolic benefits, triggering disease response pathways and increasing stress tolerance. The basis for these benefits is complex and poorly understood. Liquid seaweed extracts are complex and have been demonstrated to possess novel mechanisms for increasing crop productivity. The benefits of seaweed extracts to crops have previously been reviewed in the context of the northern hemisphere, but not in the context of Australia, its crops and unique stressors. This review considers the application of seaweed extracts in Australian agriculture by (i) introducing the history of the Australian liquid seaweed extract industry and (ii) focusing on evidence of Australian research related to seaweed extract composition, plant growth properties during plant establishment, pathogenic disease and new approaches to phenotyping the biological efficacy of seaweed extracts. This type of research is essential for future Australian agriculture to develop effective strategies for the use of liquid seaweed extracts.

The importance of biostimulants, defined as plant growth-promoting agents that differ notably from fertilizers, is increasing steadily because of their potential contribution to a worldwide strategy for securing food production without burdening the environment. Based on folkloric evidence and ethnographic studies, seaweeds have been useful for diverse human activities through time, including medicine and agriculture. Currently, seaweed extracts, especially those derived from the common brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum, represent an interesting category of biostimulants. Although A. nodosum extracts (abbreviated ANEs) are readily used because of their capacity to improve plant growth and to mitigate abiotic and biotic stresses, fundamental insights into how these positive responses are accomplished are still fragmentary. Generally, the effects of ANEs on plants have been attributed to their hormonal content, their micronutrient value, and/or the presence of alga-specific polysaccharides, betaines, polyamines, and phenolic compounds that would, alone or in concert, bring about the observed phenotypic effects. However, only a few of these hypotheses have been validated at the molecular level. Transcriptomics and metabolomics are now emerging as tools to dissect the action mechanisms exerted by ANEs. Here, we provide an overview of the available in planta molecular data that shed light on the pathways modulated by ANEs that promote plant growth and render plants more resilient to diverse stresses, paving the way toward the elucidation of the modus operandi of these extracts.

Abstract Aqueous seaweed extracts are a biological product which have beneficial effects on plant growth as well as improving their resistance to several biotic and abiotic stresses. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of aqueous extracts of three seaweeds Fucus spiralis, Cystoseira ericoides (Phaeophyceae) and Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyceae) harvested from Atlantic coast of Rabat region in Morocco, on lead (Pb) tolerance and accumulation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. Aqueous extracts were obtained by the combination of 2 extraction processes, ultrasonication and heating. The brown seaweeds F. spiralis and C. ericoides extracts had good antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay. The growth and physiological parameters were compared between Solanum lycopersicum seedlings grown in hydroponic conditions at 0 and 100 μmol Pb with or without 4% seaweed extract. The F. spiralis and C. ericoides extracts significantly increased the aboveground parts and roots biomass compared to control plants treated with Pb alone. In Pb stress conditions, these seaweed extracts enhanced the plant’s tolerance with a reduction of anthocyanin and proline content. F. spiralis extract treatment led to a significant Pb accumulation in aboveground parts of the plant. The effect of U. lactuca extract on tomato plants biomass, anthocyanin and proline was not significant. The study demonstrated that the aqueous extracts of F. spiralis and C. ericoides improved the plant response to heavy metals stress, highlighting the potential use of these seaweeds in phytoremediation processes.

Seaweed extracts can be used in agriculture as biostimulants which present many advantages in several crops. Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) is a source of phytohormones, polysaccharides and minerals which provide benefits to soil–plant system. The objective was to analyze the biostimulant response of ANE application in tomato crop, regarding morphological and yield aspects, and understand the nutrients dynamics in the soil. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design during 2020–2021 in protected environment in southern of Brazil. Three treatments were studied, besides control, ANE (0.2%) was applied to the soil (drench), and to the leaves (spray). in five times during tomato crop. ANE applications improved plant growth (plant height, stem diameter, fresh and dry mass of leaf, stem and root, leaf number, leaf area, root length and chlorophyll content), yield components (fruit quantity, fruit weight and size, bunches number and size and productivity), as well as soil fertility (dynamics of macronutrients and organic carbon). Therefore, ANE (0.2%) application in tomato crop promotes plant growth and yield components increments, being a sustainable input, which contribute to advances in agriculture. Soil applications of ANE were more effective when compared to foliar applications. However, both methods could improve soil chemical properties after cultivation.

Seaweed extracts are used as nutrient supplements, biostimulants, or biofertilizers in agriculture and horticulture to increase plant growth and yield. In this study, we examined the effect of liquid seaweed extracts (LSEs) made from Ulva lactuca, Caulerpa sertularioides, Padina gymnospora, and Sargassum liebmannii as biostimulants on the germination and growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions using foliar and soil drench applications of LSEs. We assessed LSEs at different concentrations (0.2, 0.4, and 1.0 %) on germination parameters (percentage, index, mean time, energy, and seedling vigor index) and growth parameters (plumule length, radical length, shoot length, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight) of tomato seedlings. Our results indicate that seeds treated with LSEs of U. lactuca and P. gymnospora at lower concentrations (0.2 %) showed enhanced germination (better response in germination rate associated with lower mean germination time, high germination index and germination energy, and consequently greater seedling vigor and greater plumule and radicle length). Application as a soil drench was found to be more effective in influencing the height of the plant (up to 79 cm) than the foliar spray application (75 cm). Plants receiving LSEs of U. lactuca and P. gymnospora showed increased shoot length, root length, and weight. Furthermore, U. lactuca and P. gymnospora were found to be more successful and better candidates for developing effective biostimulants to improve the growth of tomato plants. This study provides important information on the identification and utilization of Mexican seaweed resources for agriculture and is the first study to report on the uses of these seaweeds as a source of liquid extracts as biostimulants in agriculture.