article · Frontiers in Nutrition
Dasispermum suffruticosum is an aromatic halophyte with potential for medicinal and nutritional use, yet its cultivation requirements have remained largely uncharacterised. An evaluation under semi-controlled glasshouse conditions assessed how gradient dosages of the seaweed-derived biostimulant StimBlue+, applied via foliar spray or growing-medium drenching, influenced plant development compared to an NPK fertiliser control. A growing-medium drench at 7.0 mL/L significantly enhanced stem diameter, plant height, leaf count, and chlorophyll content. Meanwhile, a foliar spray at 2.5 mL/L delivered the greatest root development, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity across both leaves and roots. Plants treated with the biostimulant also demonstrated descriptively higher concentrations of essential minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. These findings establish preliminary baseline benchmarks for the plant as a candidate functional food.
Identifying sustainable ways to cultivate resilient wild plants can expand options for human nutrition and preventive healthcare. Showing that a seaweed biostimulant improves the physical growth, mineral uptake, and antioxidant profile of this aromatic halophyte points to an environmentally friendly cultivation method that enhances crop quality without relying solely on conventional synthetic fertilisers.
This research could inform cultivation protocols for agricultural growers and biostimulant manufacturers targeting functional food and nutraceutical markets. The work represents early-stage research derived from semi-controlled glasshouse trials. Commercial deployment remains distant, as the findings indicate that further replicated trials and precise identification of targeted bioactive compounds are necessary before viable nutraceutical products can be confirmed.
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Dasispermum suffruticosum (P. J. Bergius) B. L. Burtt is an aromatic halophyte recognized for its diverse phytochemistry and medicinal plant potential. Despite its potential value, limited scientific information is available regarding its agronomic performance and phytochemical responses. This study investigated the morphological, mineral, and phytochemical responses of D. suffruticosum to gradient dosages of StimBlue + , a seaweed-derived biostimulant, applied via foliar spray (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mL/L) and growing-medium drenching (5.0, 7.0, and 9.0 mL/L), alongside an NPK fertiliser control. Two sequential trials were conducted under semi-controlled glasshouse conditions using a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). Morphological parameters and mineral uptake were assessed over 12 weeks, while phytochemical analyses, including (TPC), and antioxidant capacity (ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH) were conducted for 10 weeks on the three best-performing treatments following the first trial. Growing medium drench at 7.0 mL/L (T5) produced significantly higher stem diameter (1.24 mm), plant height (7.29 cm), number of leaves (8.87), and chlorophyll content (1.30 mg/ m 2 ) than the control ( p ≤ 0.05), while foliar spray at 2.5 mL/L (T1) recorded the highest root development. StimBlue + treatments showed descriptively higher concentrations of several minerals including leaf K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe and Zn compared with the control. T1 also recorded the highest TPC (20.25 and 8.71 mg GAE/g DW) and ABTS (171.32 and 122.90 μmol TE/g DW), FRAP (110.86 and 63.62 μmol AAE/g DW), DPPH (68.14 and 43.77 μmol TE/g DW), in leaves and roots, respectively. These findings provide preliminary baseline phytochemical and mineral data for D. suffruticosum and indicate its potential as a candidate functional food, with low-dose foliar StimBlue + application emerging as a promising treatment warranting further investigation, including replicated trials and targeted bioactive compound characterisation, before nutraceutical application can be confirmed.
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DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1885424
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