Rajkot: Bhavnagar-based CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI) has transferred its indigenously developed seaweed biostimulant technology to a Visakhapatnam firm, marking a significant step towards commercialising the marine-based innovation that has demonstrated yield gains of up to 37% in field trials across India.The technology is based on the production of natural biostimulants derived from the seaweed species Kappaphycus alvarezii.The technology transfer agreement was signed last week. Officials said the partnership will help scale up industrial production of the seaweed-derived agricultural input.Kamalesh Prasad, head of business development and information management at CSIR-CSMCRI, said the agreement would accelerate the industrial use and value addition of marine biomass, particularly through the conversion of Kappaphycus alvarezii into nutrient-rich sap formulations for agriculture.CSIR-CSMCRI director Arup Ghosh said the institute’s seaweed-based biostimulant technology had been validated through more than 170 multi-location trials conducted in 20 states with the participation of 43 agricultural universities and research institutions.“Depending on the crop and formulation, the trials recorded yield improvements ranging from 11% to 37%, while the use of seaweed biostimulants showed potential for reducing inorganic fertiliser use by 20-25%,” Ghosh said.The institute has developed technologies based on Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria, Sargassum and Solieria. While Kappaphycus is cultivated, Sargassum biomass is collected from natural sources and processed into value-added products.According to the institute, pan-India trials showed that application of Kappaphycus sap, or K-sap, increased yields in crops including soybean, sesame, greengram, maize, rice, potato and sugarcane.Researchers have also found that the biostimulant improves plant resilience against biotic and abiotic stress factors, including drought, salinity and fungal pathogens such as Macrophomina phaseolina.CSIR-CSMCRI has transferred seaweed cultivation, processing and value-addition technologies around 45 times in recent years. About 75% of technology recipients have been micro, small and medium enterprises.“Overall, indigenous seaweed sap formulations developed by the institute have covered over 3.5 million hectares of farmland, capturing an estimated 13% to 15% share of India’s biostimulant market and boosting annual farm incomes by an estimated Rs 3,000 crore. The expanding sector has also generated substantial rural employment, particularly for coastal women and fishermen engaged year-round in biomass cultivation and processing,” said Kanti Bhooshan Pandey, principal scientist at the institute.
