Stony Brook Seaweed Fertilizer Webinar
November 19
@
2:00 pm
–
3:30 pm
NYSDEC and NEIWPCC will be hosting a Nutrient Bioextraction Initiative virtual webinar on Thursday, November 19, 2-3:30 p.m. to share research recently completed by the Gobler Lab at Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). The study, “Assessment of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Kelp and Other Seaweeds and Fruit-Bearing Plants and Vegetables Treated with Seaweed Fertilizers,” was funded by New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund.
The research project:
- Grew kelp in Long Island Sound (East River, Northport Harbor) and Long Island south shore (Moriches Bay); and collected wild seaweeds (Ulva and Gracilaria) from Long Island south shore (Shinnecock Bay).
- Tested seaweeds named above for heavy metals.
- Processed seaweeds into dry and liquid fertilizers and compared them with commercial chemical synthetic fertilizer on three crops: carrots, spinach, tomatoes.
- Compared crop results for harvest yields, heavy metal content compared to food safety standards, and nutritional value compared to recommended daily values.
The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be made available.