Primary Ocean Regenerative Ocean Agriculture: Giant Kelp – Fueling Our World With Seaweed
Geschreven op 13-10-2021 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Niet gecategoriseerd
Primary Ocean focused on regenerative ocean agriculture, the startup farms giant kelp (Macrocystis Pyrifera) to use in a variety of ways.
The primary is as an organic biostimulant they call Organikelp™. This liquid extract is used in agriculture to improve the growth, yield and quality of crops and to improve soils.
“Humans need to eat and agriculture has been a major part of our story for the past 5,000 years so our inventions make farming regenerative and improve the health of plants, animals, and people with the power of nature,” co-founder Brandon Scott Barney.
Primary Ocean produces a seaweed extract rich in micronutrients, phytohormones, and cations from kelp, a large brown seaweed that typically has a long, tough stalk with a broad frond divided into strips. Some kinds grow to a very large size and form underwater “forests” that support a large population of animals.
“Organikelp’s formulation has been found to increase plant growth, yield and overall crop performance at every stage of the growth cycle. Early application to the soil is proven to support the rooting of juvenile clones or seedlings, making plants healthier,” Barney explained.
According to the company website, seaweed can also be used as a high protein food source, refined into marine degradable bioplastics that can replace petroleum-based plastics or used as an extremely productive renewable energy source — biofuel.
Barney explained how all these solutions are possible because of how fast giant kelp regenerates itself. Giant kelp is the largest seaweed and the largest of all marine algae. Turns out, it is also the fastest growing organism on the planet, gaining an average of 11 inches a day and up to 24 inches in ideal conditions, he said. And, it doesn’t need freshwater, terrestrial land, fertilizer or pesticides to grow. That makes it perfect for farming, as it can replenish what is harvested quickly.
Because it photosynthesizes and absorbs nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon dioxide, kelp could also be a tool to draw down gigatons of carbon, Barney added. While it grows, it also cleans the oceans and helps to fight against “dead zones” in the ocean. These are areas with low oxygen where nothing can live, caused by nutrient runoff into the oceans, Barney told.
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