Enhancement of plant photosynthesis by seaweed extracts under optimal and abiotic stress conditions: physiological and molecular mechanisms
Abstract
Global climate change is intensifying abiotic stress in crops, posing a serious threat to agricultural productivity and global food security. In this context, seaweed extracts (SWEs) have emerged as key sustainable biostimulants to optimize plant performance. This review critically examines recent scientific evidence on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms by which SWEs enhance photosynthesis under both optimal growth conditions and environmental stress scenarios (drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures). The literature shows that, under favorable conditions, SWEs increase pigment biosynthesis and improve gas exchange parameters. Under abiotic stress, these extracts mitigate damage to the photosynthetic system by regulating stomatal conductance, protecting RuBisCO activity, and enhancing cellular antioxidant systems. At the molecular level, evidence increasingly supports these responses are explained by physiological priming, whereby polysaccharide-derived oligosaccharides act as elicitors that trigger early reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts, Ca²+ fluxes, and protein-kinase signaling. These early events initiate transcriptional responses integrating hormonal and other stress-signaling pathways that ultimately protect pigments, thylakoid membranes, and carbon assimilation. Finally, current knowledge gaps are discussed, highlighting that the integration of ROS/redox, Ca²+, protein-kinase, hormonal, and chloroplast retrograde signals into SWE-induced transcriptional responses remains poorly understood. Time-resolved studies combining pathway-specific perturbations with transcriptional and physiological measurements will be essential to establish how these signals converge to protect photosynthesis under abiotic stress.
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BibTeX
@article{espinosaanton2026enhancement,
title = {{Enhancement of plant photosynthesis by seaweed extracts under optimal and abiotic stress conditions: physiological and molecular mechanisms}},
author = {Adrian Alejandro Espinosa-Antón and Rosalba Mireya Hernández-Herrera and Héctor Ocampo-Alvarez and Asdrubal Burgos and Carla Vanessa Sánchez-Hernández},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1994972},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1994972},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Enhancement of plant photosynthesis by seaweed extracts under optimal and abiotic stress conditions: physiological and molecular mechanisms
AU - Adrian Alejandro Espinosa-Antón
AU - Rosalba Mireya Hernández-Herrera
AU - Héctor Ocampo-Alvarez
AU - Asdrubal Burgos
AU - Carla Vanessa Sánchez-Hernández
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1994972
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1994972
AB - Global climate change is intensifying abiotic stress in crops, posing a serious threat to agricultural productivity and global food security. In this context, seaweed extracts (SWEs) have emerged as key sustainable biostimulants to optimize plant performance. This review critically examines recent scientific evidence on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms by which SWEs enhance photosynthesis under both optimal growth conditions and environmental stress scenarios (drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures). The literature shows that, under favorable conditions, SWEs increase pigment biosynthesis and improve gas exchange parameters. Under abiotic stress, these extracts mitigate damage to the photosynthetic system by regulating stomatal conductance, protecting RuBisCO activity, and enhancing cellular antioxidant systems. At the molecular level, evidence increasingly supports these responses are explained by physiological priming, whereby polysaccharide-derived oligosaccharides act as elicitors that trigger early reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts, Ca²+ fluxes, and protein-kinase signaling. These early events initiate transcriptional responses integrating hormonal and other stress-signaling pathways that ultimately protect pigments, thylakoid membranes, and carbon assimilation. Finally, current knowledge gaps are discussed, highlighting that the integration of ROS/redox, Ca²+, protein-kinase, hormonal, and chloroplast retrograde signals into SWE-induced transcriptional responses remains poorly understood. Time-resolved studies combining pathway-specific perturbations with transcriptional and physiological measurements will be essential to establish how these signals converge to protect photosynthesis under abiotic stress.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -