SMALL PRINT:SEAWEED HAS been used by farmers for many centuries in Ireland, and with reason. Putting seaweed on crops makes them healthier and more productive.
The problem is that, until recently, no one really understood why. Now scientists in Galway and Tralee are uncovering what makes seaweed such a powerful ally, both as a nutrient and in defending against bugs and disease.
Products containing seaweed extract line the shelves of garden centres and are widely used in agriculture, with companies keen to exploit this natural resource. One such company is Brandon Products, established by scientists at the Institute of Technology Tralee. “We knew seaweed had benefits for agriculture and horticulture, but we didn’t know why. Seaweed holds lots of secrets,” says Henry Lyons, technical director at Brandon.
By working with scientists at the Institute of Technology Tralee and NUI Galway, Lyons is hoping to find out some of these secrets. “We are in search of the most bioactive ingredients, so we can try and separate them and improve our products.”
The two seaweeds being investigated are commonly known as knotted wrack (below left) and tangle, both of which are abundant on the Irish coastline.
Shane O’Connell’s group at Tralee is extracting active substances from the seaweeds, with the hope of isolating those that benefit crops. “Seaweed is a complex material,” he says. “It contains a cocktail of chemicals, any of which may be acting on the plant’s response to disease or other stresses.”
The chemicals from the seaweed are being tested at NUI Galway. “The plant is switching on different genes in response to different chemicals in the seaweed. For example, some extracts seem to help the plants defend themselves from disease,” says researcher Peter McKeown.
Trials on crop plants are now under way to see how these extracts work in the field.
Dr Amy Strange is on placement at The Irish Timesas a British Science Association media fellow