The foliar application of sea lettuce (Ulva Lactuca) liquid extract on growth and quality of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Abstract

At present there is a significant demand for environmentally sustainable agriculture to produce high-quality, nutritious food for the growing global population. Research efforts are currently focused on sustainable crop production methods, utilizing organic fertilizers and botanical compounds derived from natural resources to enhance the yield of commercially valuable crops. A field study was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar application of seaweed (Ulva lactuca) liquid extracts (SLE) on the growth and yield of the 'Indi' cultivar. The foliar application of SLE was applied to the plant at one-week interval. As treatment, the seed extract was applied at different concentrations 10% SLE (T2), 20% SLE (T3), 50% SLE (T4), and 100% SLE (T5) (v/v). Control treatment consisted of foliar application of distilled water (T1). The results showed that there were significant differences(p<0.05) among the tested parameters of the ‘Indi’ cultivar.Foliar application of seaweed extract at concentrations of 20% (T3) increased the ground nut plant height (49.44 cm), number of nodules (144) and pods (27), air dry pod weight (36.38 g), air dry seed weight seed yield (24.28 g), biological yield (2898.12 kg/ha), and harvest index (41.96 %). Seaweed extract with 100% foliar application reduced the above mentioned parameters significantly compared to the control. Therefore, it could be concluded that the seaweed extract at a 20% concentration level can be used to enhance the growth and yield of ‘Indi’ groundnut cultivar.