Investigation of liquid and solid biofertilizer from the algae Chladophora glomerata enriched with chitosan and its effect on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Document Type : scientific research article

Authors

1 Department of Seafood Processing, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

2 Dept. of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj. Iran

3 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to produce liquid and solid biofertilizer from the green seaweed Chladophora glomerata enriched with chitosan and to investigate its effect on lettuce in terms of morphological indicators, photosynthetic pigments, anthocyanin, nitrate content and sensory evaluation.
Material and methods: The green seaweed was dried and aqueous and alcoholic extracts were prepared from it. The aqueous extract showed higher levels of gibberellin by HPLC and was selected as the liquid algal fertilizer. The effects of five experimental groups (in three replicates) including the control group, the liquid fertilizer group (algae extract and algae extract + chitosan) and the solid fertilizer group (pure dry algae powder and wet algae powder remaining from extraction) were investigated in lettuce grown in a greenhouse.
Results: In this study, the indices of crown height, plant fresh weight, root fresh weight, root length, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, anthocyanin and sensory characteristics (appearance, color, mouthfeel (taste), aroma and overall flavor) did not differ significantly among the different treatments.
Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the use of the aforementioned biofertilizers significantly reduced nitrate accumulation in cultivated lettuces, so that the lowest amount of this accumulation was in the treatment of lettuce fertilized with algae extract + chitosan.

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Journal of Utilization and Cultivation of Aquatics
Volume 15, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 83-97

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