Shanmugam Munisamy
Research Scientist
(+47) 413 50 783
shanmugam.munisamy@nibio.no
Place
Bodø
Visiting address
Torggården, Kudalsveien 6, NO-8027 Bodø
Abstract
Sustainable source-based hydrogels are now paid much importance for managing water pollution due to their distinctive chemical and physical properties like hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, viscoelasticity, superabsorbancy, softness, fluffiness, and biodegradability. Alginate-based hydrogels can incorporate much water due to their hydrophilic nature.Water pollution often changes groundwater, resulting in the inability to use it. Alginate-based gels remove pollutants through adsorption/desorption, transport, and other conventional techniques. Alginatebased hydrogels can incorporate much water due to their hydrophilic nature. Their composites have been demonstrated to control different water pollutants like inorganic, organic, and pathogenic microbes from various water streams in unique structural forms like a flat membrane, hollow fibber, microspheres, gels, foams, nanofibers, Calcium and sodium alginate-based hydrogel along with other materials like activated charcoal, zeolite, bentonite, graphene, biochars and composites have been proved to be effective blend in managing heavy metal pollutants.This review summarizes the results obtained from the sustainable removal of contaminants from water through the alginate-based hydrogel and the challenges associated with it for practical application in the future.
Abstract
The commercial farming of Kappaphycus alvarezii in Indian waters has provided diversifying livelihood to the low-income artisanal fishermen for last 15 years. The sector has got commercial setback due to mass mortality of germplasm during 2013 – 2014. But considering its potential to provide inclusive economic growth in coastal rural settings, the government has renewed its interest in this activity. At the cusp of the strategic expansion of the seaweed sector understanding biosecurity risks, strategies and enforcement of framework is pivotal in reducing the impact of disease outbreaks, epiphytic infestations and pest attacks. The key category aspects include identification of the risks, evaluate the national health management for seaweed aquaculture, and providing potential biosecurity strategy for expanding commercial farming operations. Additionally we also enlisted the biosecurity strategy from other eucheumatoid-producing countries and nations involved in seaweed aquaculture for comparison. In-spite of advancements in science and technology, particularly in seaweed application-based solutions, health management and seaweed aquaculture biosecurity, still remain in their infancy in India. The analysis revealed that there is a complete absence of a national database of diseases, epiphytes, and grazers outbreak. Further limited clarity on a legal administrative procedures for the import of seaweed germplasm for commercial exploitation and its subsequent quarantine is a critical biosecurity risk. There is an urgent need to invest considerably in research and development related to the biosecurity of seaweeds. The rapid internet based technological development could be effectively utilised in disease reporting as well as developing farmer centric syndromic surveillance. The strengthening of regulatory frameworks and policy should be given the highest priority, as application of biosecurity has indirect effects in domains such as products development, food security, agriculture productivity, economic growth and potential regulatory ecosystem services.
Abstract
Seaweed extracts are proven to be potent biostimulants due to the presence of wide range of nutrients including mineral like potassium and other macro-micronutrients, plant growth hormones, amino acids, vitamins, glycine betaines and quaternary ammonium compounds in them. In the present study, potassium-rich powders were obtained from some commercially important tropical red seaweeds viz. Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria salicornia, G. edulis, G. firma and G. heteroclada and Eucheuma spinosum and checked for their biostimulant effect through green gram seedling bioassay study on in vitro using WinRhizo software, and we found that extracts of all species increased the root development at significant level (p < 0.05) as compared to standard nutrient medium. G. salicornia of Indian origin which is naturally available on a commercial level (>1000 t dry per year) was taken for further studies and manufactured 3 variants of potassium-rich biostimulants, viz. concentrated seaweed extract (CSE), potassium-rich water-soluble powder (PSP) and seaweed fortified granule (SFG), and tested their biostimulant activity on cassava root at farmer’s field and found to increase the tuber yield to 17.40%, 20.09% and 22.19%, respectively, with high starch content, less incidence of cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSD) and increased nutrient use efficiency over control plants. Based on the results of present study, potassium-rich biostimulant obtained from G. salicornia can be applied to cassava for yield and quality improvement.