AgroPages-Seawin Biotech-pioneer of utilizing " double algae" for seaweed fertilizer-Agricultural news

The ocean contains rich biological resources, including over 8,000 varieties of seaweed, which mainly grow in intertidal zones and zones that are 10 meters below the low water line.

Seaweeds can be divided into brown algae, red algae, green algae, blue-green algae, which all contain a variety of nutrients.

There are records indicating the replacement of some fertilizers with seaweed to improve soil conditions as early as the beginning of the 4th century. Seaweed fertilizers refer to biological fertilizers produced by fermentation, acid and alkali process or fertilizer mixing process, with seaweed or seaweed extracts as the raw materials. After development over dozens of centuries, people find that seaweed's function in promoting plant growth has been recognized by the whole world and seaweeds have gained wide application. Also, as natural fertilizers, seaweeds have gained unprecedented attention and development in developed countries, such as European countries and America.

China is one of the countries in the world with the richest seaweed resources. However, research and production into seaweed fertilizer did not start until the late 1990s. Research and production into seaweed fertilizer was started late, but developed fast. Take Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd. for example, its production process and product effects of seaweed fertilizers have reached international advanced level and its main products are sold well in more than 20 countries and regions, including Europe, America and Southeast Asia.

In actual production, Seawin Biotech uses kelp found in brown algae and enteromorphaprolifera found in green algae as the main raw materials. In the following paragraphs, Seawin Biotech will introduce the features of kelp and enteromorphaprolifera and how their nutrients protect and promote roles for plant growth.

Brown Algae--Kelp

Brown algae are multi-cellular plants and are tawny or puce due to the different ratio of pigments contained. Common brown algae used for production include kelp, giant kelp and gulfweed. Kelp is a kind of large marine brown weed plant growing in low temperature seawater. Kelps grow in seas with low water temperature. They are cultivated in coastal areas in northern China in Zhejiang and Fujian in a large quantity, with production being ranked No. 1 in the world.

Kelps have high nutritional value. They are edible and can be used to extract industrial raw materials, such as iodine, alginate and mannitol. Kelp contains rich nutrients. Its main ingredients include organic nutrients, mineral nutrients and a variety of amino acids. Refer to the table below for the specific content:

Organic nutrient	Crude protein	Crude fat	Carbohydrate	Bio-active iodine	Mannitol	Fucoidan	Algal polysaccharide
Organic nutrient	8.2%	1.3%	42.3%	0.4%	14-21%	0.3%	20-40%
Mineral nutrient	P	K	Ca	Mg	Fe	Zn	B	Mn		Na
Mineral nutrient	0.21%	9.1%	2.3%	1.2%	0.15%	139ppm	31ppm	20ppm		5.0%
Amino acid	Lys	Arg	Ala	Glu	Val	Leu	Gly		Asp
Amino acid	0.47%	0.29%	0.86%	1.1%	0.90%	0.32%	0.4%		1.1%

Green Algae--Enteromorphaprolifera

Enteromorphaprolifera are a kind of large economic green algae. There are about 40 varieties of enteromorphaprolifera around the world and about 11 varieties in China. They grow in intertidal zones in coastal areas of China, with the coastal area in the East Sea seeing the highest production. They can be used for food and medicine.

Enteromorphaprolifera are rich in carbohydrates, protein, crude fiber, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and a variety of minerals. They also contain fat and vitamins. The table below shows the nutrients contained in enteromorphaprolifera:

Contents	Concentration
Carbohydrate (polysaccharide）	41.4%
Crude protein	13.2%
Crude fat	1.7%
Crude fiber	4.8%
Mineral nutrient and others	23.1%

Enteromorphaprolifera are not seaweed with the highest content of protein. However, the total volume of amino acids in protein is high, accounting for 85.84 percent of the protein. They also contain all essential amino acids with rational proportion. Besides, the iron content in enteromorphaprolifera is high, and the content of copper and zinc is also significantly higher than other seaweeds. Meanwhile, the content of harmful heavy metal elements contained, particularly lead and arsenic, is the lowest among seaweeds in the same sea area.

Magic Components in Seaweeds

Seaweed Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides in Kelp--Alginic Acid

Seaweed polysaccharides are substances in seaweeds, whose function is to enhance immunity and anticarcinogenic activity and they belong to special polysaccharides, protein, lipid, pigment and low molecular substances. Polysaccharides contained in kelp include algin, fucoidan and laminaran. Algin accounts for the highest content, followed by laminaran and fucoidan. As the content of algin is high, the content of algin is usually used to determine the quality of seaweed extracts.

Algin is the main component of the cell walls of brown algae. Alginic acid can enhance product stability and solubilization, enhance system emulsification, water absorption and chelation for inorganic ions and heavy metal ions, strengthen photosynthesis of plants and boost osmotic pressure of cells. Application of alginic acid in soil can improve soil structure; improve breathing and coalescence ability of soil. Absorption of alginic acid by crops can improve immunity of crops and effectively improve the quality of crops.

The Ocean University of China has successfully developed seaweed polysaccharides with the degree of polymerization being Dp=6-12, which have the best effects for promoting growth, resisting disease and improving immunity. This not only improves the ability to be absorbed by crops, but also enhances the features of polysaccharides.

Polysaccharides in Enteromorphaprolifera--Enteromorphaprolifera Sulfated Polysaccharide

Enteromorphaprolifera polysaccharide is one of the main active components in enteromorphaprolifera and is distributed among algae cells. Enteromorphaprolifera polysaccharide is a rhamnose-xylose-glucuronic acid polymerized substance and sulphatedpolysaccharide,while enteromorphaprolifera sulfated polysaccharide is the sulfuric acid group containing polysaccharide extracted from seaweeds (the content of sulfonic acid reaches 22.70 percent, as shown in Table below).

Contents	Concentration
Total polysaccharide	74.7%
SO₄^2-	22.7%
Uronic acid	17.5%
Amino sugar	1.4%

The rhamnose, mannose and unsaturated fatty acid etc. in enteromorphaprolifera sulfated polysaccharide can serve as signal matters, remove free radicals in crops, promote crops to produce antigen specific factors, and improve the disease resistance ability of crops. They can also serve as transferase for sugar-nucleotide in plants to participate in the generation of such secondary metabolites as glucoside, and enhance the self-regulation function. The xylose in enteromorphaprolifera polysaccharide can chelate metal ions, promote absorption of inorganic elements for crops, with certain water and fertilizer retention function.

Betaine

Betaine in kelp participates in the transportation of organic substances and inorganic substances up and down in plants, promotes transportation of nutrients from root to leaf and enhances absorption and utilization of nutrients for plants. Regulation of cell osmosis can enhance cold resistance, drought resistance and saline-alkali resistance, regulate and promote growth of plants; besides, the regulation also has parasite expelling and antifungal effects, with protection effect for a series of enzymes in plants.

Mannitol

The content of mannitol in kelp reaches as high as 10 to 20 percent. Mannitol participates in the photosynthesis of body, regulates the nutrition osmosis balance and enhances fertilizer absorption and the water retaining ability of crops. Mannitol can rapidly repair and heal wounds, unchoke blocked (injured) micro bundles of plants and protect root and stem health of crops. Mannitol can also enhance the immunity of plants and the salt resistance ability of plants. It also has the effect to maintaining cell survival and promoting growth and differentiation. It can significantly promote natural doubling of in-vitro haploid cells.

Organic Iodine

Organic iodine in kelp can promote biological oxidation, regulate synthesis and decomposition of protein, promote metabolism of sugar and fat, regulate water and salt metabolism, promote absorption and utilization of vitamins, enhance activity of enzymes and promote growth and development. Organic iodine in kelp can iodate and oxidize active genes of tropina and when combined with an amino group of protein, leads to protein denaturation and inhibiting the metabolic enzyme system of bacteria. It can kill bacteria, fungi, viruses and amebic protozo.

Terpenoids and Phenols Polymers

Terpenoids and phenols polymers in kelp can promote absorption and utilization of nutrients; enhance disease resistance and cold resistance and drought resistance of plants. Terpenoids and phenols polymers can regulate the osmotic pressure of cell sap and chloroplasts, playing a powerful chelation in the nutrient absorption process of crops. Terpenoids and phenols polymers protect a series of enzymes to be converted into active resistant chemical substances in cells suffering from drought, coldness, worms and diseases, induce crops to produce stress-resistance factors, improve disease resistance in crops, prevent invasion of coccinella septempunctata and aphids, and enhance cold and drought resistance of plants.

Vitamins

Kelps and enteromorphaprolifera contain a variety of vitamins, including vitamins B12, C, E, B1, B2, D, A, Vk, biotin and niacin. The content of vitamin E in general seaweeds is less than 100μg/g seaweed (dry weight). Vitamins C and E have an anti-oxidation effect and can protect unsaturated fatty acid from attacks of peroxides, and delay aging.

Amino Acids

Natural amino acids in seaweeds can accelerate the synthesis of protein in crops; accelerate their photosynthesis and metabolism, with unique promotion effects for growth of plants, especially for photosynthesis. Glycine, in particular, can increase the content of chlorophyll in plants, enhance the activity of enzymes, promote the penetration of carbon dioxide and make photosynthesis more vigorous. It plays a very important role in enhancing crop quality and increasing the content of Vc and sugar.

Plant Growth Regulators

Auximone: It can stimulate root development and cold resistance in crops. With the application of auximone, cutting plants can greatly enhance the survival rate of plants. The most common auximone is heteroxin, which is widely used for a variety of seaweeds.

Gibberellin: It can promote germination, growth, flowering and fruit yielding of plants. As early as the 1960s, scientists discovered that seaweeds contain a substance similar to gibberellin. Enteromorphaprolifera contains at least two kinds of gibberellins, GA3 and GA7.

Abscisic acid (ABA): Also known as Abscisin, it is a kind of plant growth inhibitor, and can help plant cells of abscission layer mature and cause organ abscission. ABA and Gibberellin have an antagonistic effect.

Contacts
Suny Shang
Director of International Business Dept., Seawin Biotech
Tel: 86-532-85901608
Email: sales@coub.cn
website: www.seawin-bio.com

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Seawin Biotech-pioneer of utilizing " double algae" for seaweed fertilizer

Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.
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