Abiotic and biotic stresses limit the growth and productivity of plants. In the current global scenario, in order to meet the requirements of the ever-increasing world population, chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are used to boost agricultural production. These harmful chemicals pose a serious threat to the health of humans, animals, plants, and the entire biosphere. To minimize the agricultural chemical footprint, extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) have been explored for their ability to improve plant growth and agricultural productivity. The scientific literature reviewed in this article attempts to explain how certain bioactive compounds present in extracts aid to improve plant tolerances to abiotic and/or biotic stresses, plant growth promotion, and their effects on root/microbe interactions. These reports have highlighted the use of various seaweed extracts in improving nutrient use efficiency in treated plants. These studies include investigations of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms as evidenced using model plants. However, the various modes of action of A. nodosum extracts have not been previously reviewed. The information presented in this review depicts the multiple, beneficial effects of A. nodosum-based biostimulant extracts on plant growth and their defense responses and suggests new opportunities for further applications for marked benefits in production and quality in the agriculture and horticultural sectors.

Plants incessantly encounter abiotic and biotic stresses that limit their growth and productivity. However, conversely, plant growth can also be induced by treatments with various abiotic and biotic elicitors. Carrageenans are sulfated linear polysaccharides that represent major cellular constituents of seaweeds belonging to red algae (Rhodophyta). Recent research has unraveled the biological activity of carrageenans and of their oligomeric forms, the oligo carrageenans (OCs), as promoters of plant growth and as elicitors of defense responses against pests and diseases. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms by which carrageenans and OCs mediate plant growth and plant defense responses. Carrageenans and OCs improve plant growth by regulating various metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and ancillary pathways, cell division, purine and pyrimidine synthetic pathways as well as metabolic pathways involved in nitrogen and sulfur assimilation. Carrageenans and OCs also induce plant defense responses against viroids, viruses, bacteria, fungi and insects by modulating the activity of different defense pathways, including salicylate, jasmonate and ethylene signaling pathways. Further studies will likely substantiate the beneficial effects of carrageenans and of OCs on plant growth and plant defense responses and open new avenues for their use in agriculture and horticultural industry.

There is an increasing global concern about the availability of water for agricultural use. Drought stress negatively impacts plant physiology and crop productivity. Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the important oilseed crops, and its productivity is often reduced by drought. In this study, a commercial extract of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) was evaluated for its potential to alleviate drought stress in soybean. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ANE on the response of soybean plants to drought stress by monitoring stomatal conductance, relative leaf water content, antioxidant activity and expression of stress-responsive genes. Plants treated with ANE had higher relative water content and higher stomatal conductance under drought stress. During early recovery in the post-drought phase, ANE treated plants had significantly higher stomatal conductance. The antioxidant activity was also found higher in the plants treated with ANE. In addition, ANE-treatment led to changes in the expression of stress-responsive genes: GmCYP707A1a, GmCYP707A3b, GmRD22, GmRD20, GmDREB1B, GmERD1, GmNFYA3, FIB1a, GmPIP1b, GmGST, GmBIP and GmTp55. Taken together, these results suggest that applications of ANE improve the drought tolerance of soybean by changing physiology and gene expression.

The effects of extracts of the brown marine alga (Ascophyllum nodosum, ANE) on growth and biochemical and molecular changes in spinach were studied. Overall increases in biomass, chlorophyll, and antioxidant activity were observed at an application rate of 0.1 g L ^–1 ANE. Shoot fresh weight, dry-matter content, and total soluble protein showed 1.6-, 1.2-, and 1.5-fold increases, respectively. Total chlorophyll increased by 30% and total antioxidant capacity, phenolics, and flavonoid content increased by at least 33%. A 1.4-fold increase in chalcone isomerase activity was observed, whereas the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase was not affected. The ANE affected the transcript abundance of genes that affect sucrose and glycine betaine metabolism. The transcript abundance of cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GS1), betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH), choline monooxygenase (CMO), and glutathione reductase (GR) increased in plants treated with 0.1 g L ^–1 ANE.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of red seaweed supplementation to standard poultry diets on production performance,