Tony Arioli1,2*, Scott W. Mattner3,4, Pia Winberg5
1Seasol R&D Department, Bayswater, Victoria, Australia
2Department of School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
3VSICA Research, Toolangi, Victoria, Australia
4School of Agriculture, Biomedicine & Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
5Venus Shell Systems, Bomaderry, NSW, Australia
The world population is growing rapidly and relies on agriculture to produce food in productive, safe and sustainable ways. Agriculture needs innovations to improve the way resources like water, nutrients and fertile soils are used. Food production needs to be resilient to increasing climate volatility and extremes. Seaweed extracts are a key part of productive, sustainable and regenerative agriculture. Seaweed extracts have proven properties that reduce yield losses caused by abiotic and biotic stress events and improve nutrient utilisation. An understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the beneficial effects and effectiveness of seaweed extracts in the field is a priority. This is particularly relevant for Australian agriculture where the impact of climate volatility is significant. The benefits of seaweed extracts to crops have previously been reviewed in the context of the northern hemisphere, but not recently in the context of Australia, its crops and unique stressors. In Australia, seaweed extracts have been studied in the field across different crops and farming systems. In the laboratory, the effects of seaweed extracts on model and crop plants have been studied to discover the plant molecular, cellular and physiological responses they cause. Their molecular mechanisms of action have been studied to characterise the processes that seaweed extracts use to condition plants. Therefore, we review the research on seaweed extracts to provide insights for the applications of seaweed extracts in Australian agriculture.