Effects of an agricultural extract of the brown alga, Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyceae), on mango, Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae), grown for transplants in the nursery

Abstract

Experiments were conducted in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, to assess the effects of a commercially available extract of the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum on 'Palmer' and 'Parvin' mangos grown for transplants. The extract was soil-applied biweekly at 0 to 5 ml/L, using 150 ml of aqueous solution per plant per application. Both varieties responded similarly to the alga extract. Increasing the extract rate resulted in increased leaf chlorophyll content (up to 25% higher) and accelerated scion shoot height gain (up to 22%). These results indicate that Ascophyllum alga extracts can be used to reduce the time necessary to grow mango transplants.