Review of the Potentialities of Sea Macroalgae in Agriculture

Abstract

Sea organisms have been lately in the limelight since they are a source of natural compounds and have become a new and promising study issue. Sea macroalgae are a vast source of biologically active prime matter and molecules used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and agricultural industry. Current analysis reviews recent progress in agricultural research on the bioactivity of sea algae and derived compounds. Three biological activities of macroalgae are underscored, namely, resistance induction to diseases in plants, plants´ growth stimuli and direct anti-microbial activity. A bibliographical review of scientific articles on the application of sea macroalgae in agriculture was undertaken. Interest in marine macroalgae is due to such advantages as quick growth, production of great volumes of biomass and the exclusive characteristics of their polysaccharides/derived compounds, such as physical, chemical, rheological, biological properties, coupled to the chemical composition formed by rare sugars. The commercial exploitation of green, brown and red macroalgae, albeit limited, along the Brazilian coast. may help in organic agriculture and in the production of pesticide contamination-free areas with a valorization of marine biomass usage.