Seaweed - An Eco-friendly Alternative of Agrochemicals in Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture demands the use of our natural resources to enhance production and productivity without depleting the natural base along with a vision to preserve them for our future generation. The effect of modern agriculture driven by agrochemicals has raised serious concern about the health and wellbeing of our environment and humans as well. The growth of the population and shrinking resources has created the need for searching new technology and resources to balance between feeding and preserving the environment. Researchers are nowadays more focussed towards trying and testing new products to reduce our dependency on agrochemicals. Among the various alternatives, Seaweed has drawn the attention of many researchers due to its unique properties and abundant availability. They are nowadays used to increase the yield by enhancing the nutrient uptake by the plant. This can reduce excessive fertilizer application for yield enhancement. Seaweed extracts are also showing effective response against various pest and diseases. This property can also play a very important role in reducing our dependency on harmful chemicals for pest control.