The biostimulant effect of an extract from Durvillaea potatorum and Ascophyllum nodosum is associated with the priming of reactive oxygen species in strawberry in south-eastern Australia.

Strawberry is an important horticultural crop in Victoria, Australia. Grey mould caused by Botrytis cinerea reduces marketable yield and post-harvest quality of strawberry fruit in the region. We conducted two field experiments in Victoria (Coldstream and Warburton) to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercial seaweed extract from Durvillaea potatorum and Ascophyllum nodosum (Seasol®) on the yield, revenue, and post-harvest rot of strawberry fruit. We applied the extract to strawberry crops (cv. Albion) monthly as a combined drench (10 L ha-1) and foliar spray (1:400), with water as a control. Application of the seaweed extract significantly increased strawberry fruit yields by 8-10% and revenue by AU$0.37-0.59 per plant. Furthermore, the extract significantly reduced the incidence and severity of post-harvest rots in strawberry fruit by 52-87%, respectively. The extract did not affect the firmness, soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity, or SSC:acid of strawberry fruit. In a separate laboratory experiment, we found that growing strawberry in the seaweed extract (1:400) increased the concentration of peroxidase by 50% and doubled H2O2 in roots soon after treatment. Increases in reactive oxygen species are an indicator of a suite of pathways associated with resistance and tolerance of biotic and abiotic stresses. Overall, the results demonstrate that the seaweed extract can act as a commercially-viable biostimulant for strawberry fruit production in south-eastern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]