Effect of Seaweed Extract on Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The use of seaweed extract has become an environmentally sustainable alternative biostimulant that has shown great potential to improve crop growth, productivity, and stress resistance in sustainable agriculture. Due to its nutritional profile and high protein content, chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the significant legumes cultivated around the world and produces the desired response towards bioactive compounds found in seaweed extracts, like plant growth regulators, amino acids, vitamins, micronutrients, and polysaccharides. This review aims to bring to light the impact of seaweed extract application on chickpea germination, vegetative growth, physiological traits, nodulation, flowering, yield attributes, and seed quality. The results showed seaweed extract treatment in foliar and seed promotes the development of roots, chlorophyll, nutrient uptake, photosynthetic efficiency, and antioxidant activity, resulting in increased plant vigor and productivity. Use of seaweed-based bio-stimulants also enhances drought resistance, water use efficiency, and increases resistance to abiotic stress conditions. An application of seaweed extract at critical growth stages has been reported in several studies to enhance pod formation, seed weight, biological yield, and harvest index. Seaweed extract is beneficial in enhancing crop performance as well as soil microbial activity and reducing synthetic fertilizer usage, which has a positive impact on sustainable crop production. Future research is needed to further develop application methods, concentrations, timings, and combine seaweed extracts with nutrient management strategies to achieve better chickpea productivity across a range of agroclimatic situations.