ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Sustainable Food Processing
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1656867
Algae digestate biostimulants as an innovative solution for food system sustainability and productivity improvement
Provisionally accepted
Inese Skapste1,2*
Ilze Vircava1,3Kristiana Skutele3Uldis Žaimis4Gunta Grinberga-Zalite2Andra Zvirbule2- 1Latvijas Biozinatnu un tehnologiju universitate, Jelgava, Latvia
- 2Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Economics and Social Develeopment, Jelgava, Latvia
- 3Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology, Jelgava, Latvia
- 4Riga Technical university, Liepaja academy, Liepaja, Latvia
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Europe's food system currently faces significant challenges, including demographic changes, high dependence on synthetic fertilizers, and growing climate change impacts. Aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork policy, this study aims to explore the potential of an algal digestate-based biostimulant to enhance crop productivity and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers in sustainable agricultural systems. A vegetation tray trial was conducted using three cover crops representative of palustrine species in the Baltic Sea region: lettuce, radish, and spinach. The effects of full and reduced mineral fertilization with and without algal biostimulant supplementation were assessed. The results showed that using the biostimulant, especially at a 6% application rate, could partially compensate for reduced nutrient input. This approach exceeded the yields of conventional full-strength fertilization while improving soil health and minimizing fertilizer input. Statistical analyses (ANOVA and Tukey HSD) confirmed significant yield increases for treatments with the biostimulant, particularly under nutrient-limited conditions. These results suggest that algal biostimulants have the potential to advance sustainable and resilient food production systems in Europe.
Keywords: sustainable agriculture1, soil health2, sustainable food system3, leafy and root vegetables4, productivity5
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Skapste, Vircava, Skutele, Žaimis, Grinberga-Zalite and Zvirbule. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Inese Skapste, Latvijas Biozinatnu un tehnologiju universitate, Jelgava, Latvia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.