Indexing and enhancing bioactivities of seaweed and seaweed products for use in agriculture

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A number of companies around the world harvest marine algae (seaweeds) to produce liquid and powdered extracts that are used in agriculture to improve plant growth and crop yield. Despite over 40 years of study, the specific compounds in these seaweed extracts that improve plant growth and the mechanisms by which they influence growth remain largely unknown. One of the major problems is the lack of rapid and robust bioassay systems to assist in targeting potential bioactives. This project will attempt to develop cell culture based and whole plant bioassays using model plant systems Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum to determine the specific effects of seaweed extracts on plant growth. To help understand how these biologically active compounds influence growth, powerful molecular and biochemical techniques including microarray analysis will be used to determine which genes in the plant are influenced by application of seaweed extracts. This research will generate both a suite of sensitive reliable bioassays to test the biological activity of seaweed products and new information on the identity and mechanism of action of the bioactive chemicals in seaweed extracts. The results will lead to development of new and more effective seaweed-based agricultural products and new export markets. Further, this project will train two undergraduate students, one M.Sc. graduate student and a post-doctoral fellow providing them with a unique opportunity to interact with industry. The outcome from this research project will position Canadian seaweed extract industry to manufacture consistently active seaweed products giving a competitive edge over competition from around the world. This will lead to increased market share for Canadian seaweed extracts and ultimately generating more jobs and economic activity in Canada.