Biostimulant Effect of Marine Macroalgae Bioextract on Pepper Grown in Greenhouse

applied sciences A icle Bios imulan E ec o Ma ine Mac oalgae Bioex ac on Peppe G own in G eenhouse Paulo Melo 1,2,*, Ca los Ab eu 3, Ki il Bahce andzie 4, Glácio A aujo 5and Leonel Pe ei a 2 1Depa men o Ag icul u e, Fede al Uni e si y o La as/UFLA, La as 37200-000, B azil 2MARE-Ma ine and En i onmen Sciences Cen e, Depa men o Li e Sciences (DCV), Uni e si y o Coimb a, 3000-456 Coimb a, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed] 3Depa men o Biology, Fede al Uni e si y o La as/UFLA, La as 37200-000, B azil; [email p o ec ed] 4Ag icul u al College o Coimb a (ESAC/IPC), Resea ch Cen e o Na u al Resou ces En i onmen and Socie y (CERNAS), Ins i u e o Applied Resea ch (IIA), 3045-601 Coimb a, Po ugal; [email p o ec ed] 5Cea áFede al Ins i u e/IFCE-Campus A aca i, A aca i 62800-000, B azil; [email p o ec ed] *Co espondence: [email p o ec ed] o [email p o ec ed]; Tel.: +351-910-842-139 Recei ed: 21 May 2020; Accep ed: 9 June 2020; Published: 11 June 2020   Abs ac : Ma ine mac oalgae a e a as sou ce o aw ma e ials and biologically ac i e molecules used in he pha maceu ical, cosme ic, ood and ag icul u al indus ies. The sea ch o a ood ee o chemical esidues by consume s has led p oduce s o use en i onmen ally iendly and economically iable p oduc s as hey a e a sou ce o na u al compounds, o ming a new and p omising a ea o s udy. In his con ex , concen a ed ma ine algae ex ac s (CMAEs) a e an impo an al e na i e in his p oduc ion model. This wo k aimed o e alua e he e ec s o CMAEs as bios imulan s in plan me abolism, p omo ion o g ow h, de elopmen and p oduc ion o peppe (Capsicum annuum L.) cul i a ed in a g eenhouse. This wo k was ca ied ou om 24 June o 30 Oc obe 2019. The numbe o lea es, plan leng h, esh and d y plan mass, oo leng h, oo esh and d y mass, ui p oduc ion and he me abolic pe o mance we e e alua ed. The esul s o he s oma al conduc ance o peppe plan s, p oduc ion and bio o i ica ion we e ela ed wi h he le els o nu ien s abso bed by he plan , which e lec ed he e ec o he applied bios imulan . The dose ha showed he mos p omising esul s was he 0.5% concen a ion o CMAEs. Keywo ds: mac oalgae ex ac s; hodophy a; phaeophyceae; bios imulan ; peppe 1. In oduc ion Peppe (Capsicum annuum L.) (Figu e 1) is a pe ennial Solanaceae, g own as an annual c op o g ea socioeconomic impo ance [ 1 ], and which cons i u es one o he i e c ops wi h he la ges a ea plan ed in a p o ec ed cul i a ion sys em, bo h in B azil and in se e al coun ies, mainly due o he inc ease in p oduc i i y, ui quali y and o ob aining good ma ke p ices when g own in his condi ion by small and medium p oduce s, being comme cialized as g een, ed, yellow and o ange ui . The la ges wo ld peppe p oduce s a e Mexico, Uni ed S a es, I aly, Japan, India and B azil [2]. In B azil, peppe s a e one o he 10 mos impo an ege ables o he ho icul u al ma ke , wi h a plan ed a ea o 13,000 ha and p oduc ion close o 290,000 ons o ui pe yea [ 3 ], and a e widely exploi ed, being cul i a ed h oughou he na ional e i o y, mainly by small- and medium-sized g owe s, due o he apid e u n on in es men s, esul ing om he sho pe iod o p oduc ion. Analyses ca ied ou by he B azilian Na ional Heal h Su eillance Agency (ANVISA, h p://po al.an isa.go .b /) on swee peppe since 2001 showed he applica ion o high le els o non-au ho ized pes icides used o con ol diseases and insec s in his c op. Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052; doi:10.3390/app10114052 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/applsci Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 2 o 12 Figu e 1. Peppe (Capsicum annuum L.) wi h ui s. Conside ing his ele ance and he sea ch o peppe o ganic p oduc ion as a iable p ac ice [ 4 , 5 ], i is essen ial o imp o e new echnologies compa ible wi h his ype o p oduc ion, mainly wi h he use o subs ances based on bio p oduc s, such as ma ine mac oalgae ex ac s. The concen a ed ex ac s o ma ine mac oalgae (o seaweeds) a e widely used in ho icul u e, la gely because o hei g ow h-p omo ing e ec s and ole ance o cul u es o abio ic s esses, such as salini y, hea s ess, wa e s ess and nu ien de iciency. The chemical cons i uen s o concen a ed seaweed ex ac s include complex polysaccha ides, a y acids, i amins, phy oho mones and mine al nu ien s [ 6 ]. Recen esea ch has shed ligh on he possible molecula e ec s on mechanisms ha a e ac i a ed by seaweed ex ac s and physiological eac ions ha hese ex ac s may induce in plan s, mainly in ho icul u al c ops [7]. Bios imulan s p omo e plan g ow h and de elopmen h oughou he c op cycle, imp o ing he e iciency o plan me abolism, c op quali y, and apid eco e y when plan s a e exposed o abio ic and bio ic s esses. Bio-ex ac s o ma ine mac oalgae ac as bios imulan s o plan s, hese e ec s being a ibu ed o phy oho mones, o plan g ow h egula o s, in addi ion o chemical compounds ha can inc ease ole ance o se e al bio ic and abio ic s esses. Mos comme cially p oduced ex ac s o seaweeds a e cu en ly made om b own mac oalgae. Polysaccha ides ex ac ed om seaweeds a e na u ally ac i e subs ances and ha e impo an applica ions as aga , ca ageenans and ucoidans ha a e well known and used in he ood, pha maceu ical and bio echnology indus ies [ 8 ]. Howe e , in e es in he bio echnological po en ial o seaweed polysaccha ides is ecen [ 9 ] and in he las ew decades he disco e y o me aboli es wi h biological ac i i y om mac oalgae has inc eased [10]. The bio-ex ac s om seaweeds, as hey con ain phy o egula o s, when applied on plan s, in luence some o he mos impo an pa hways in plan me abolism, anabolism and ca abolism, such as an ioxidan capaci y, phenolic le els and la onoid con en . In gene al, he phy o egula o s ac on he g ow h and de elopmen o pa s o he whole plan , o induce he main enance o a phenological s age ( ege a i e phase-g ow h), o al e na e he s age ( om he ege a i e phase o he ep oduc i e phase- lowe ing and ui ing) and also o induce oo ing (auxins) and new shoo s (gibbe ellins and Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 3 o 12 cy okinins) [ 11 ], as well as pe o ming pho osyn hesis, which leads o g ea e ege a i e igou and, consequen ly, g ea e plan g ow h and de elopmen [12]. In his con ex , we aimed o s udy he e ec o he bios imulan Reabili ® Algas, based on concen a ed ma ine algae ex ac s (CMAEs), on he peppe plan , i s me abolism and ui p oduc ion, unde con olled condi ions. 2. Ma e ials and Me hods 2.1. The T ial The expe imen was conduc ed in a g eenhouse a he Depa men o Ag icul u al Enginee ing o he Fede al Uni e si y o La as, loca ed in he municipali y o La as, MG, B azil, a 21 ◦ 12’54” sou h la i ude and 45 ◦ 03’16” wes longi ude, a 892 m o al i ude. Acco ding o he clima ic classi ica ion o Köppen [ 13 ], he egional clima e is o he humid sub opical clima e ype (Cwa), p esen ing wo de ined seasons, d y wi h lowe empe a u es om Ap il o Sep embe , and ainy, wi h highe empe a u es, om Oc obe o Ma ch [ 14 ]. The expe imen was ca ied ou be ween he mon hs o June and Oc obe 2019. Du ing he expe imen , daily clima ological da a we e collec ed inside he g eenhouse, using a he mo-hyg ome e . The maximum and minimum empe a u es we e eco ded in he pe iods o June, July, Augus , Sep embe and Oc obe : 31.7 and 7.4 ◦ C; 29.2 and 9.1 ◦ C; 32.4 and 9.3 ◦ C; 31.5 and 17.5 ◦ C; 36.8 and 13.1 ◦ C and ai ela i e humidi y o 68%, 66%, 61%, 62% and 61%, espec i ely. The cul i a Elisa (Roge s) peppe (Capsicum annuum L.) plan s we e g own in 4.5 dm 3 plas ic po s, wo plan s pe po . Th oughou he peppe cycle and up o he p e-ha es , au oma ed i iga ion consis ed o 4 daily applica ions, on 10, 12, 14 and 16 h du ing 6 min, low a e o 2.0 L.h −1 d ip ips. The subs a e wa e con en in he po s was main ained a 60% o he o al po e olume, h oughou he expe imen . As a base, we used a subs a e composed o a ine ea h (60%), sand (30%) and anned bo ine manu e (10%), wi h he chemical a ibu es be o e he applica ion o ea men s, e e ing o June 2019 (Table 1). (mg/dm3). Table 1. Chemical con en o he subs a e be o e applying he ea men s. pH 1 (H2O) P K Zn Fe Mn Cu B S P- em 2 (mg/L1) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) (mg/dm3) 6.3 27.02 649.07 4.24 66.28 6.62 1.74 0.04 14.5 17.45 Ca Mg T3V4M5OM6Clay Sil Sand (cmol/dm3) (cmol/dm 3 ) (cmol/dm 3 ) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 0.95 0.10 4.27 63.57 24.93 2.55 6.3 3 55 1 pH in H 2 O, a io 1: 2.5, ai -d ied ine soil (TFSA): H 2 O; 2 P- em =Remaining phospho us, phospho us concen a ion o he equilib a ion solu ion a e s i ing TFSA o 1 h wi h CaCl2 solu ion con aining 60 mg/L o P, in 1:10 a io; 3 T-CTC (ca ion exchange capaci y): measu ed a pH 7; 4 V% (base sa u a ion): p opo ion o ca ion exchange occupied by bases V% =[Sum o bases (K +Ca +Mg +Na) ×100] /CTC; 5M (Sa u a ion by Al3+); 6OM (o ganic ma e ). 2.2. T ea men s The e iliza ions we e pe o med, a e ansplan ing he seedlings, acco ding o he plan ’s demand, a soluble o mula ion was applied in e iga ion: NPK (8%, 11%, 38%, espec i ely) +1.6% Mg +2.9% S +0.0 2% B +0.04% +0.004% Cu +0.2% Fe +0.04% Mn +0.004% Mo +0.02% Zn, ammonium sulpha e, calcium ni a e and po assium chlo ide. The mine al con en o Reabili ® Algas (Nu imax Fe ilizan es: www.nu imax.ne .b ) (Kappaphycus al a ezii- ed seaweed and Sa gasum ulga e-b own seaweed) was as ollows: 3% Mg; 4% S; 3% Fe and 0.3% B, wi h addi ional o ganic ing edien s: CMAEs, amino acids, phy oho mones and o ganic subs ances ha ac on he physiological, pho osyn he ic and nu i ional balance o plan s. Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 4 o 12 Fi e di e en ea men s (concen a ions o Reabili ® Algas) we e applied on peppe plan s. Plan s we e di ided in 3 blocks wi h 6 plan s each. T ea men s applied we e: T1-Con ol (0%); T2-0.5%; T3-1.0%; T4-1.5% and T5-2.0%, in wo sp ays, he i s be o e lowe ing, and he second du ing he ui o ma ion. 2.3. E alua ions The s oma al conduc ance (SC) was ob ained acco ding o he Ohm’s law analogy, h ough he sum o SC in pa allel o he wo lea su aces, me hodology used by Sha pe [ 15 ] and Sojka and Pa sons [ 16 ] e e ing o he equa ion: 1/SC =1/CAD +1/CAB, whe e: SC-s oma al conduc ance o he cul u e, mmol m −2 s −1 ; CAD—conduc ance o he adaxial lea su ace, and CAB—conduc ance o he abaxial lea su ace. The measu emen s o he cul u e SC we e made using a SC-1 Lea Po ome e wi h di ec SC measu emen s. The inno a i e s eady-s a e echnology o he SC-1 Lea Po ome e ob aining accu a e SC measu emen s a o dable and p ac ical o daily esea ch, de e mines SC by measu ing he apou low om he lea o he en i onmen , de e mined a 12 o’clock. To de e mine he ag onomic e iciency index (AEI), p oposed by Ba nes and Kamp a h [17], which is calcula ed by means o he pe cen age, as ela ionship be ween ea men s p o ided by he applica ion o concen a ions o he es ed p oduc (Reabili ®Algas), sub ac ing he p oduc i i y o he con ol ea men : AEI (%) =[(Y2 −Y1) /(Y1)] ×100 whe e Y1 =P oduc ion ob ained by he con ol ea men , in he “ze o” dose; Y2 =P oduc ion ob ained wi h he applied doses. Fo he physical cha ac e is ics, he numbe o lea es, he esh and d y mass o he ae ial pa , he leng h o he ae ial pa and he oo , he esh and d y mass o he oo , me abolic e alua ion (s oma al conduc ance) and ui p oduc ion we e e alua ed. Longi udinal diame e (LD) measu emen s we e aken a he axis om he base o he peduncle inse ion o he ui apex, and he ans e se diame e (TD) measu emen s we e aken on he la ges ans e se diame e o he ui s, being classi ied as ec angula in ui s whose longi udinal diame e is g ea e han he ans e sal diame e [18]. The chemical cha ac e is ics, based on he esul s ob ained in he Folia Analysis Bulle in o Mac onu ien Con en , we e de e mined by he accumula ion o nu ien s in he plan s, while he expo a ion o nu ien s was based on he accumula ion o nu ien s as a unc ion o he d y ma e o he ae ial pa . 2.4. S a is ical Analysis The esul s ob ained we e submi ed o analysis o a iance (ANOVA) and Tes F, and each pai o means was compa ed by Tukey’s es a 5% signi icance, a e de e mining he minimum signi ican di e ence. In p ac ical e ms, his alue ga e us an equal ma gin as he sample sizes we e he same, because i he di e ence be ween wo ea men s is g ea e han ha , he a e ages could be di e en . Fo his pu pose, he Sis a compu e p og am was used [19]. 3. Resul s and Discussion The measu emen s o s oma al conduc ance began when plan s p esen ed 5 pai s o lea es and we e made on he adaxial and abaxial aces o lea es o peppe plan s (Capsicum annuum L.), loca ed on he uppe pa o he plan and exposed o sola adia ion. Th ee plan s, andomly chosen, we e e alua ed pe ea men . In each plan , a lea om he op, ully expanded and exposed o sola adia ion was selec ed (Table 2). Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 5 o 12 Table 2. Values o numbe o plan s (NP), s oma al conduc ance (SC) and ag onomic e iciency (AE), in ela ion o con ol T1, pe o med in phenological s age: physiological ma u a ion o peppe plan s, a 12 h. T ea men NP mmol m−2s−1AE (%) in Rela ion o T1 T1-Con ol 3 321.4 00 T2-Reabili ®Algas 0.5% 3 408.0 27 T3-Reabili ®Algas 1.0% 3 361.2 12 T4-Reabili ®Algas 1.5% 3 332.9 04 T5-Reabili ®Algas 2.0% 3 385.0 20 Values o SC a ied om 408 (T2) o 321.4 (T1). The highes AE alue was obse ed in plan s ea ed wi h T2, wi h AE 27% highe han Con ol. As he a ailabili y o wa e in he soil dec eases, he a e o anspi a ion dec eases as a esul o s oma a closu e. This is one o he impo an de ense mechanisms ha plan s ha e agains exagge a ed wa e losses, and e en ual dea h due o desicca ion [ 20 ]. One o he main esponses o plan s o wa e de ici is he closu e o s oma a and, hus, he dec ease in CO 2 in he lea mesophyll, which causes he all o pho osyn hesis. This allows physiological e alua ions, such as gas exchange measu es, o be used o assess he e ec s o wa e de iciency on plan s [21]. Acco ding o Oli ei a e al. [ 22 ], he s oma a opening is condi ioned by he plan wa e a ailabili y. When he e is a wa e de iciency in he soil, caused by he inc ease in empe a u e, he e may also be a dec ease in pho osyn hesis. Fa ias e al. [ 23 ] demons a ed ha , inside g eenhouses, a di use sola adia ion can, on a e age, be 65% highe han ou side he g eenhouse. In ou s udy, empe a u es inside he g eenhouse in Augus eached maximum daily empe a u es a ying om 26.4 ◦ C o 32.4 ◦ C, which heo e ically can lead o s oma al closu e, caused by wa e de ici , hus dec easing he pho osyn hesis which condi ioned ui de elopmen . Du ing he en i e peppe cycle and un il p e-ha es , au oma ed i iga ion was applied. Howe e , i iga ion is essen ial o p oduc ion in a p o ec ed en i onmen , equi ing a egula supply h oughou i s cycle [ 24 ]. Acco ding o Souza e al. [ 25 ], o he bes de elopmen o he peppe plan , he mois u e con en in he subs a e mus be kep close o 80% o he ield capaci y, du ing he pe iod om ui ing o ha es . The e o e, bo h he lack o wa e in he soil and i s excess can educe c op p oduc i i y, e en caused by sal excess in he subs a e [26]. I can be in e ed ha he use o he Reabili ® Algas bios imulan p o ided an inc ease in ag onomic e iciency (AE) in s oma al conduc ance in he o de o 27%, 20%, 12% and 4% in he T2, T5, T3 and T4 ea men s, espec i ely, in compa ison wi h he con ol. The SC alues ep esen ed he s oma a ully open and a ou ing espi a ion due o he absence o wa e de ici , du ing all he phenological phases o he peppe cul u e, he eason o he signi ican di e ences ound in ui p oduc ion (Table 2). Such esul s may be ela ed o he composi ion o he bios imulan , which p esen s biological compounds, such as CMAEs, amino acids, phy oho mones and o ganic subs ances ha assis in he de elopmen o he plan and s imula e cell elonga ion and ho monal balance in he ole ance o wa e de ici , when applying he lowes concen a ion o Reabili ®Algas. 3.1. Physical Cha ac e is ics A e he s a is ical analysis o he esul s using he Tukey es o esh mass o he ae ial pa in ela ion o he con ol ea men T1 i was obse ed ha , wi h he excep ion o he ea men s T4, T5, he o he wo ea men s p esen ed a s a is ical di e ence, (p<0.05), and he T2 ea men showed g ea e nume ical di e ence (Table 3). These esul s sugges ed ha he lowes doses o Reabili ® Algas in luence hea ie p oduc ion o esh mass o he ae ial pa (FMAP) han he highe doses. The ag onomic e iciency index (AEI, %) was highe wi h he inc ease o , he numbe o lea es, d y mass o ae ial pa and oo , leng h o ae ial pa and oo , in ela ion o he con ol (T1). The T2 ea men (Reabili ® Algas 0.5%) p esen ed, in gene al, highes alues o AE in numbe o lea es (LN, Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 6 o 12 148%), esh mass o he ae ial pa (FMAP, 127%), d y mass o he ae ial pa (DMAP,113%) and oo d y mass (RDM, 167%) in ela ion o he con ol (Table 3). Highe esh mass p oduc ion in he peppe plan s ea ed wi h T2 and T3 can p obably be a esul o he g ea e plan capaci y o syn hesize pho o-assimila es. These plan s showed highe pe o mance o leng h o he ae ial pa (LAP), oo leng h (RL), oo esh mass (RFM) and RDM. This can be an indica o ha plan s which had ecei ed lowe bios imulan concen a ions can be be e adap ed o wa e s ess condi ions [ 27 , 28 ]. The e o e, ega ding he esul s o he physical cha ac e is ics e alua ed in he peppe plan s, he use o he Reabili ® Algas, in peppe cul u e (Capsicum annuum L.) can be highly iable. The inc ease in ag onomic e iciency in oo leng h, esh mass and d y oo mass, is highligh ed by he applica ion o he p oduc Reabili ® Algas e sus i s absence, which we e in he o de o 123% o 230% o RL, and 94% o 165% o RFM, and 25% o 167% o RDM. I was obse ed ha he oo d y mass in T ea men T2 eached 167% mo e in he ag onomic e iciency index compa ed o he Con ol, which can be in e ed ha his olume o oo s con ibu ed o g ea e nu ien abso p ion, e lec ing in he o al ui weigh , signi ican a e <0.05 (Table 4). As gene al equi emen s o comme cial p oduc ion, peppe s mus ha e well-de ined a ie al cha ac e is ics, be physiologically de eloped, well- o med, clean, uni o m in colou , ee om mechanical and physiological damage, ee om pes s and diseases and ee om subs ances ha m ul o heal h. As hei mean longi udinal diame e (LD) was be ween 82.4 and 96.7 mm and mean ans e se diame e (TD) was be ween 63, 22 and 51.1 mm wi h he L/T a io be ween 1.4 and 1.76 (Table 4). These LD and TD alues demons a e ha mo e han 90% o he ui s had a adable size, belonging o Class 8 (www.ho ib asil.o g.b accessed in Ma ch 2020). To al ui weigh in plan s ea ed wi h T2 was he highes , 314 kg.1000 plan s −1 .collec ion −1 , ollowed by he p oduc ion in T3 and T5 plan s (Table 4). The alues o o al ui mass-TFRM, we e signi ican ly di e en (p<0.05) in ea men s T2, T3 and T5, ep esen ing an inc ease in he ag onomic e iciency index (69%, 59% and 44%, espec i ely) wi h applica ions o Reabili ®Algas, compa ed o he con ol. A e he analysis o compa ison o he means in he Tukey es , o o al ui weigh in ela ion o he con ol ea men , T1, all ea men s showed s a is ically di e en esul s. The T2, T3 and T5 showed g ea e nume ical di e ence. Howe e , he ea men de i ed om he 1.5% dose showed a dec ease in his a iable, when compa ed wi h ea men s T2, T3 and T5. This esul may sugges ha he ui weigh was a unc ion o he esh mass o he ae ial pa (Table 4) which was in luenced by he p oduc ion o pho o-assimila es esul ing om he ea men s. Fon es e al. [ 29 ], s udied con inuous plan g ow h and e i ied a g ea e ui d y ma e in peppe hyb id Elisa g own in a g eenhouse. These au ho s s a ed ha he o al p oduc ion o con en ionally g own peppe plan s in his ype o en i onmen , exceeded 90% comme cially ma u e ui s du ing 32 ha es s o a pe iod o 8 mon hs. In he T2 and T3 ea men s, he es ima ed numbe o boxes pe 1000 plan s was 29 and 27 (11 kg, each), espec i ely. This was highe p oduc ion in e ms o numbe o boxes when Reabili ® Algas was used, a any concen a ion, compa ed wi h he con ol, whose es ima e o boxes pe 1000 plan s was 17. Such esul s can be explained by he mine al composi ion o he bios imulan used as a complemen a y e ilize . I can be conside ed ha his bios imulan c ea ed physiological, pho osyn he ically and nu i ional balance in he plan s, p omo ing an inc ease o he nu ien concen a ion in he lea issue and di ec ly a ec ing he ui p oduc ion. Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 7 o 12 Table 3. Numbe o lea es (LN), esh mass o he ae ial pa (FMAP), d y mass o he ae ial pa (DMAP), leng h o he ae ial pa (LAP), oo leng h (RL), oo esh mass (RFM) and oo d y mass (RDM), a e age o 3 epe i ions/ ea men and he ag onomic e iciency index (AEI, %) o each e alua ed cha ac e is ic o he peppe plan s. T ea men LN (Uni ) AE (%) LN FMAP (g) * AE (%) FMAP DMAP (g) AE (%) DMAP LAP (cm) AE (%) LAP RL (cm) AE (%) RL RFM (g) AE (%) RFM RDM (g) AE (%) RDM T1 39 00 104 ±10.08 c 00 15.03 00 50 00 13 00 16 00 3.0 00 T2 97 148 236 ±8.01 a 127 32.01 113 87 73 33 154 41 156 8.0 167 T3 84 115 186 ±6.54 b 79 24.65 64 89 78 43 230 42 165 7.2 140 T4 50 28 109 ±3.51 c 05 16.03 07 56 11 29 123 31 94 4.4 46 T5 42 08 94 ±5.68 c −9 15.24 02 62 24 37 185 37 134 3.8 25 * A e ages ollowed by he same lowe -case le e in he FMAP column, do no di e om each o he by Tukey es a 5% p obabili y. Table 4. Resul s o longi udinal diame e (LD), ans e se diame e (TD), longi udinal s. ans e se a io (L/T), ui mass (FRM), a e age (a .) alues pe ea men ; o al ui mass (TFRM), sum o 6 plan s in each ea men ; p oduc i i y (PROD) and numbe o boxes (NB), es ima e o ha es pe 1000 plan s and ag onomic e iciency index (AEI) o o al ui mass, o 6 peppe plan s. T ea men LD Max mm LD (a .) mm LD Min mm TD Max mm TD (a .) mm TD Min mm L/T (a .) Ra io FRM (a .) (g) TFRM 6 Plan s (kg) * AE TFRM (%) P oduc ion 1000 Plan s (kg) NB ** 1000 Plan s T1 117.3 89.7 57.6 61.8 51.1 35.0 1.76 55.80 1.2 ±9.5c 00 186 17 T2 115.5 96.6 73.0 72.7 60.0 44.9 1.60 89.69 1.9 ±4.6a 69 314 29 T3 109.3 967 82.7 79.5 61.2 50.0 1.58 84.39 1.8 ±6.5a 59 295 27 T4 99.4 82.4 61.9 73.1 58.3 42.3 1.40 70.25 1.5 ±7.3b 32 246 22 T5 112.3 92.5 74.1 85.3 63.2 52.4 1.46 84.43 1.6 ±6.0a 44 267 24 * A e ages ollowed by he same lowe case le e in he column do no di e by Tukey’s es a 5% p obabili y. ** Peppe box =11 kg. Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 8 o 12 3.2. Chemical Cha ac e is ics A plan abso bs nu ien s h ough he oo s o he lea su ace [ 30 ]. Algae ex ac s can in luence physical, biochemical and biological aspec s, plan pe o mance and can also a ec he a chi ec u e o plan s and oo s, which acili a es e icien abso p ion o nu ien s. Nu ien s p esen in seaweed ex ac s a e easily abso bed by he lea es h ough s oma a and hyd ophilic cu icles. The abso p ion o hese mine al nu ien s by lea su ace is a ec ed by he condi ions o he en i onmen , such as empe a u e, humidi y o ligh in ensi y ha in luence s oma opening, and cu icle and cell wall pe meabili y [ 31 ]. The e o e, ega ding he esul s o he physical cha ac e is ics in peppe plan s (Capsicum annuum L.), he use o Bios imulan Reabili ®Algas can be o high alue. Based on he esul s ob ained in he Folia Analysis Bulle in o Mac onu ien Con en (Table 5), he accumula ion o nu ien s in plan s was de e mined as a unc ion o d y ma e o he ae ial pa -DMAP (see da a om Table 3). The co ec nu ien managemen is a necessa y p ac ice o adequa e nu i ion o he peppe plan s and he balanced supply o mac o and mic onu ien s is essen ial o coo dina e abso p ion o nu ien s by he plan [ 26 ]. Ano he aspec o be conside ed is he speci ic plan nu ien equi emen . I should es ablish he igh amoun s o nu ien s o be applied as e ilize s in o de o lead he bes yields [ 31 ]. The ideal ange o soil pH o cul i a ing peppe should be be ween 5.5 and 6.8 [ 32 ]. The alue ound in ou subs a e was 6.3. The inc eased mac onu ien concen a ion in he lea issue, which esul ed om he ea men s (Table 5) may be ela ed o be e abso p ion and euse o hese nu ien s. This also esul ed in he highe p oduc ion o d y mass o he ae ial pa -DMAP in kg.1000 plan s−1, mainly in he T2, T3 and T4 ea men s (Table 3). Rega ding he accumula ion o nu ien s (N, Ca, Mg, S, K and P), he o de o nu ien s abso bed by peppe was obse ed a e applica ion o Reabili ® Algas. When T2 ea men was applied, he accumula ion (AC) o N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S was 240%, 100%, 159%, 191%, 182% and 172%, espec i ely, highe han nu ien accumula ion e idenced by he con ol. Acco ding o Filguei a [ 33 ], he main equi emen s a e in o de : K, Ca and N. Acco ding o he same au ho [ 33 ], he adequa e mac onu ien con en in peppe lea es a he lowe ing is: N om 20 o 60 g.kg −1 , P om 2.2 o 7.0 g.kg −1 , K om 40 o 60 g.kg −1 , Ca om 10 o 25 g.kg −1 , Mg om 3 o 10 g.kg −1 and S om 4 o 6.2 g.kg −1 . Mac onu ien con en in ou expe imen was in he app op ia e ange o he peppe cul u e. In a s udy wi h le uce g own unde ideal condi ions, i was obse ed ha he applica ion o comme cial ex ac o Eklonia maxima (Phaeophyceae) imp o ed he yield and he concen a ion o Ca, K and Mg in he lea es [ 34 ]. Ano he p oduc based on E. maxima, when applied on he lea o oo o s essed cucumbe s, inc eased he oo g ow h and amoun s o P and N [ 35 ]. Dob omilska e al. [ 36 ] es ed a comme cial p oduc based on seaweed, ia lea , in oma o cul u e, which inc eased he con en o mine al nu ien s in he ollowing o de (N, P, K, Ca, Zn and Fe). The concen a ed ex ac s o seaweed can p o oke a se ies o bene icial esponses in ege ables, such as: imp o emen o plan igou , oo de elopmen , chlo ophyll syn hesis, p omo ion o ea ly lowe ing, ui ing and ui uni o mi y, as well as delay in senescence, p olonga ion o he p oduc ’s shel li e, imp o emen o nu i ional quali y, p o iding ole ance o wa e s ess, saline and os , a enua ing diseases, p omo ing ole ance o bac e ia and ungi, assis ing in pes con ol, in he con ol o soil nema odes, and ha ing adju an ac ion in mix u es wi h pes icides [30]. Appl. Sci. 2020,10, 4052 9 o 12 Table 5. Values o peppe lea nu ien con en (g.kg−1). Accumula ion (AC) in kg 1000−1plan s. T ea men / DMAP * (Kg.1000 Plan s−1) N P K Ca Mg S g.kg−1 AC-N Kg.1000 Plan s−1 g.kg−1 AC-P Kg.1000 Plan s−1 g.kg−1 AC-K Kg.1000 Plan s−1 g.kg−1 AC-Ca Kg.1000 Plan s−1 g.kg−1 AC-Mg Kg.1000 plan s−1 g.kg−1 AC-S Kg.1000 plan s−1 T1/7.515 ±2.6c 15.0 112.73 3.3 24.80 48.4 363.73 6.8 51.10 2.8 21.04 1.8 13.53 T2/16.005 ±0.4a ** 24.0 384.12 3.1 49.61 58.8 941.09 9.3 148.85 3.7 59.22 2.3 36.81 T3/12.325 ±1.1b 22.7 279.78 3.1 38.21 61.2 754.29 12.0 147.90 4.7 57.93 2.5 30.81 T4/8.015 ±0.23c 25.0 200.37 3.3 26.45 59.4 476.09 10.1 80.95 4.3 34.46 2.3 18.43 T5/7.620 ±0.51c 30.0 228.60 4.9 37.34 60.1 457.96 14.5 110.49 7.2 54.86 3.5 26.67 * DMAP (kg.1000plan s−1)=(DMAP (g) Table.2 ×3 ep) /6 plan s. ea .−1; ** Means ollowed by he same le e do no di e by Tukey’s es a 5% p obabili y.