To aid in the restoration of coastal barren ground areas, it is important to clarify the effects of chelated iron on the growth of seaweed. In particular, for the further development of practical methods to promote seaweed growth, Fe-binding organic ligands, such as humic substances (HSs) composed of humus materials, rather than Fe-binding inorganic ligands, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), should be investigated. In this study, the effects of an Fe-fertilizer, made from HSs and steelmaking slag, on the growth of Sargassum horneri at the germling and immature stages were examined. The addition of the Fe-fertilizer eluate containing Fe-organic ligand complexes clearly promoted the growth of Sargassum horneri at the germling and immature stages. It was also clear that the effect of Fe concentration in the Fe-fertilizer eluate on the growth rate was almost the same as that of Fe-EDTA. Moreover, the addition of the Fe-fertilizer eluate had a great effect on the brown color of Sargassum horneri thalli and promoted the increased content of photosynthetic pigments, such as Chl. a. Based on these experimental results, the application of the Fe-fertilizer containing Fe-organic ligand complexes is expected to become an effective method for the restoration of the barren ground phenomenon in Fe-deficient coastal areas.

Contrasting effects of blue and red LED irradiations on the growth of Sargassum horneri during the germling and immature stages

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The online version of the original article can be found at http://dx