TY - JOUR

T1 - Combining seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum with nutrients enhances stalk yield when applied in the dry season during sugarcane development

AU - Quassi de Castro, Sérgio Gustavo

AU - de Castro, Saulo Augusto Quassi

AU - de Castro, Rosilaine Araldi

AU - de Castro, Renata Rebellato Linhares

AU - Dorante, Luis Torres

AU - Souza, Rejane Silva

AU - Hippler, Franz Walter Rieger

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Agronomic efficiency

KW - Biostimulants

KW - Environmental stress

KW - Macronutrients

KW - Micronutrients

KW - Stalk yield

U2 - 10.1016/j.stress.2024.100535

DO - 10.1016/j.stress.2024.100535

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85199327617

VL - 13

JO - Plant Stress

JF - Plant Stress

SN - 2667-064X

M1 - 100535

ER -