Dr Munisamy Shanmugam
Aquagri Processing (p) Ltd
Seaweed extract based agricultural bio stimulant that are currently available in the market, are manufactured mainly from brown seaweeds of cold water origin. ‘SAGARIKA’ a seaweed extract based product of ‘AquAgri – IFFCO Bazar’ is a tropical seaweed based agricultural bio-stimulant manufactured from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Sargassum species. Nano-urea, the novel product of IFFCO in combination with Sagarika was found to have better crop production in rice. A trial was conducted some varieties of rice being grown in different climatic condition of India recording 26.5% higher crop yields as compared to the yield obtained through application of standalone. SAGARIKA is a repository of micro and macro-nutrients, plant growth regulators (PGR) such as Auxins, Cytokinins and Gibberellins. In addition, it is also a source of thermo-stable glycine, betaine and choline which help boost crop yields, through activation of its internal metabolic processes. Basal application of SAGARIKA granule (@25 Kg/ha) and foliar application of SAGARIKA liquid ( @ 0.25 %) at critical crop growth stages has become an integral part of balanced soil- crop nutrition programme. It has resulted into yield enhancement to the tune of 9.5 to 36.0% in different varieties of rice. SAGARIKA-Nano urea blend has also led to improvement in crop immunity and its tolerance to various biotic – abiotic stresses. Present investigation summarizes its production, nutrient profiling and constituent details as well as its efficacy trial results in different crop geographies. Authors have also attempted to focus on its stress relieving properties and mechanism of action in plants.