This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Entrevista a Fernando Feliu, director ejecutivo de Plymag

“The products to basic extracts of seaweeds can consider like one of the few bioestimulantes ecological and respectful with the environingingment”

Interview to Fernando Feliu, executive director of Plymag

Editorial Interempresas08/05/2014

Fernando Feliu occupies at present the charge of executive director and is responsible technician of the company Plymag, signs founder of Aefa and operator in the sector of the fertilizantes from 1978. This Alicante company commercialised the first extract of seaweeds of the Spanish market (SM-6) in the year 1981. Feliu Has participated in distinct charges during all the path of Aefa and was in the commission of communication in the first years coordinating the first web page of the association. Later it occupied the charge of president, until 2012, collaborating at present representing it in the committee of parts of Intereco and like coordinator of the commission of fertilizantes national and CE.

What are the extracts of seaweeds?

They are products obtained of the chemical or physical extraction equipment equipment of marine seaweeds. The seaweeds have been used from always by the man like fertilizante, food for the livestock and especially in the oriental cultures like human feeding. The first references of his use like agricultural amendment date of China in the year 2700 to.C. And already in Europe, extends his agricultural use from the 12th century.

Why the seaweeds?

To comprise the surprising effect that have the seaweeds like bioestimulante have to observe the only and inhóspito habitat where grow those seaweeds of where obtain the commercial extracts: the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean situated in cold latitudes and exposed to the periodic floods of the tides.

These seaweeds happen a part of the time flooded under the water and to the few hours remain exposed in the sunlight in a coastal meadow when it withdraws the tide. To be able to resist in these so extreme conditions, these seaweeds have developed natural defences in shape of chemical compounds, many of which still desconocemos and that they are extractados in the processes of obtaining. In definite, a natural source of chemicals developed to bear extreme situations that achieve to isolate and move to the commercial products to be used by other plants.

Which methods of extraction equipment equipment use ?

The seaweeds that manufacturan usually for the extracts are the designated like seaweeds pardas. In them they find Ascophyllum nodosum, Laminaria sp., Fucus sp., Macrocystis pyrifera, Ecklonia maximum and Durvillea sp., for example. All they, for his back utilisation, are generally cut in fresco without starting them of the meadows of coastal seaweeds in low tide, the seaweeds are washed, cut, dried and grinded to be used in the processes of industrial extraction equipment equipment. Therefore they are a renewable resource since they cut to expect his growth.

Regarding the processes of extraction equipment equipment can distinguish between chemical processes and physical processes. In the chemists the seaweeds are attacked generally by a strong base and extract all the soluble components in this half, is possible that in these processes can lose some of the qualities of the seaweeds in fresco.

Inside the physical processes find: aqueous extraction equipment equipments to the empty, processes of cellular split and micro-crioaplastamiento. In these processes there are not chemical attacks and with his extracts are susceptible to obtain later a better answer of the plant after the application of the final product.

“The extracts of seaweeds do not answer to the definition of fertilizantes, since they do not contain significant quantities of macro and microelementos, although if they contain of all in trace”

What contain and how act the extracts of seaweeds?

The extracts of seaweeds do not answer to the definition of fertilizantes, since they do not contain significant quantities of macro and microelementos, although if they contain of all in trace. The surprising of the seaweeds and this partly can be been due to his hostile habitat, is the quantity of complex polysaccharides that are not presents in the terrestrial plants. The seaweeds pardas before referred contain polysaccharides type laminarinas, fucoidanos and alginatos, that besides has showed by means of bioensayos, that his extracts can induce the production of auxinas and citoquininas natural in the plants on which apply . These substances allow that the extracts of seaweeds are ones of the best bioestimulantes of the market.

It can define us the word bioestimulante?

We understand by bioestimulante, all product that without taking into account the contribution of nutrients, contain substances, composed or microorganisms whose function when it applies in the plants or in the rizosfera, improve the development of the crop, his vigour, the performance and/or of the quality, usually by means of the stimulation of the natural processes that benefit the growth and the answers to the abiotic stress.

Which profits produce the extracts of seaweeds?

When the commercial products have been developed of suitable form and have applied properly, the most common profits are:

Growth vigoroso: The branches grow to the long and with increase of diameter.
Plants stronger: The roots purchase greater length and ramification.
Induces the brotación natural: Without alterations in the plant.
Increase of the absorption of the mineral elements to the floor.
Remarkable resistance to the climatic effects: as freezing, strong heat, dryness and in general, greater resistance to the attacks of the plagues.
Helps to surpass the crisis of the post-transplante.
Improves the action of the fungicidas.
Increase of the production vendible: With uniformity in the size of the fruit.

They are the extracts of respectful natural seaweeds with the environingingment?

The prime matter used is, as we already have commented, a natural resource that obtain of the nature and besides is renewable, by what the products to basic extracts of seaweeds, can consider like one of the few bioestimulantes ecological and respectful with the environingingment.

Can use in the ecological crops?

No all, for this it will be necessary to check that the product is certified for this end by some certifier entity.

“The Ministry has showed his disposal to that they can integrate the seaweeds in the current legislation on fertilizantes, but would be well that the ministry showed his good disposition, allowing a period bridge until it approved his inclusion”

What mark regulator exists on the seaweeds?

At present the seaweeds are being commercialised under the protect of the order APA 1470/2007 of other means of phytosanitary ware defence (OMDF). According to sources of the MAGRAMA this law goes to be derogated in brief and substituted by a new Royal decree where incomprensiblemente do not go to have fit the extracts of seaweeds, since the definition of OMDF of the order APA will remain now out of the new normative. The commission of fertilizantes of Aefa is working at present in the proposal of a new type of fertilizante, to the protect of the current RD of fertilizantes 506/2013. We trust that it can be studied by the commission of experts of the MAGRAMA before the summer, previous requirement so that it can be included in the law.

The Ministry has showed his disposal to that they can integrate the seaweeds in the current legislation on fertilizantes, but would be well that the ministry showed his good disposition, allowing a period bridge until it approved his inclusion, since as we have seen, exist few insumos with the properties to improve the crops, being besides a natural and renewable resource.

What will occur in the future with the extracts of seaweeds?

The extracts of seaweeds already are included in some European national legislations, for example the French. There is consensus in the European forums that they would have to be part of the new law of bioestimulantes that at present is debating in the frame of a new European legislation, of where would be cream a new branch where would include all the products, that not being fertilizantes, have character bioestimulante. It calculates that this law could be list for 2018.

While, the Spanish legislation would have to adapt, allowing his sale as I credit national. It does not be necessary to forget that only the companies of Aefa commercialised during the year 2013 the quantity of more than 1.400.000 litres of extracts of seaweeds.