Evidence for the presence of plant growth regulators in commercial seaweed products

Although seaweeds and various seaweed products have been utilized in agricultural practices for many years, the precise mechanism by which they elicit their beneficial growth responses is still not fully understood. The amount of mineral nutrients in commercial preparations cannot account for the magnitude of the responses. Some other factor, such as the presence of endogenous plant growth regulators is, therefore, thought to be involved. This paper reviews the literature supporting evidence for the occurrence of plant hormones in commercial seaweed preparations.abbreviations SWC seaweed concentrate - PGR plant growth regulator - GC-MS gas chromatography/mass spectrometry - ¹H-NMR proton nuclear magnetic resonance - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography