Economic Potential of Algae Biostimulant for Sustainable Agriculture in the Baltic Sea Region: Impact of Furcellaria lumbricalis Digestate Extract on Basil Growth Promotion

Inese Skapste (), Gunta Grinberga-Zalite and Uldis Žaimis
Additional contact information
Inese Skapste: Institute of Economics and Finance, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
Gunta Grinberga-Zalite: Institute of Economics and Finance, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
Uldis Žaimis: Centre of Science and Engineering, Riga Technical University Liepaja Academy, LV-3401 Liepaja, Latvia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: The development of sustainable agriculture is critical in order to address the growing challenges of global food security while reducing environmental impact. This study focuses on the potential of Furcellaria lumbricalis , red algae found in the Baltic Sea, that can serve as a source of biostimulant. The research methodology included several consecutive steps combining qualitative and quantitative research methods: (1) an analysis of secondary data and literature review; (2) the production of algae digestate by anaerobic fermentation; (3) supervised laboratory experiments; (4) economic analysis; and (5) an assessment of the availability and prospects for use of algae biomass in the Baltic Sea region. The anaerobic fermentation process was used to produce algae digestate, the effectiveness of which was tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Experiments with basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) plants showed that 3% digestate concentrations significantly enhanced plant growth, increasing green mass by 52.7% to 85.4%. Economic analysis revealed the potential to increase gross profit for different crops in Latvian agriculture. The results indicate the potential of Furcellaria lumbricalis digestate as an effective and sustainable biostimulant that can contribute to the development of the green economy in the region. However, further research is needed to optimise production processes, explore long-term impacts on soil and ecosystems and conduct field trials on different crops under different climatic conditions. In addition, it is necessary to investigate precise mechanisms of action at the molecular level and develop standardised quality control processes for the production of biostimulants.

Keywords: algae biomass valorisation; crop growth promotion; green economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3268/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3268/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:3268-:d:1629439

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().