Marine Macroalgae Bioextract Changes the Index of Reflectance in Pepper Plants

In recent years, marine organisms have received attention for being a source of natural compounds, enabling the creation of a new and promising field of study. Marine macroalgae are a vast source of raw materials and biologically active molecules used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and agricultural industries. Due to its importance, the present study aimed to assess whether the bioextract of the red macroalgae Kappaphycus alvarezii acts as a biostimulant in the metabolism of plants and changes the reflectance indexes. In particular, the biological activity of the red macroalgae bioextract was focused on stimulating plant growth and photosynthetic activity. A scientific experiment was carried out using a red marine macroalgae bioextract applied on the pepper culture (Capsicum annuum L.). The pepper culture was chosen due to its high sensitivity to stress, generating good responses in the evaluation of the biostimulant and anti-stress capacity of an algal bioextract. The fresh mass of the aerial part and the length of the aerial part were evaluated, and a metabolic evaluation was also performed, represented by the photosynthetic rate produced by the pepper plants.