Trends in Biosciences

An attempt was made to study Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis sap on paddy undertaken at Regional Rice Research Station, Vyara, Gujarat (India) during summer season of 2012. The different levels (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15%) of K-Sap and G-Sap extracted from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis, respectively combined with recommended dose of fertilizer (120: 30: 00 kg N, P₂O₅, K₂O/ha) along with control (water spray+RDF) and 7.5% K-sap+ 50% RDF were tested in randomized block design with three replications. Significantly higher plant height, number of tillers per hill and grain yield (kg ha⁻¹) of paddy were obtained with application of seaweed sap neither considering types nor levels coupled with RDF as compared to control (water spray+RDF) and treatment T_M (7.5% K-sap + 50% RDF). Among the different levels of K and G types of sap, 10% K-sap + RDF recorded maximum value for plant height, number of tillers per hill, grain yield and straw yield. This might be due to the effect of plant growth regulators viz., indole 3-acetic acid, gibberellin GA3, kinetin and zeatin that coupled with RDF increased growth and yield of paddy crop.