## 3 Results and Discussion
### Chemical Characteristics  
A plant absorbs nutrients through the roots or the leaf surface [30]. Algae extracts can influence physical, biochemical and biological aspects, plant performance and can also affect the architecture of plants and roots, which facilitates efficient absorption of nutrients. Nutrients present in seaweed extracts are easily absorbed by the leaves through stomata and hydrophilic cuticles. The absorption of these mineral nutrients by leaf surface is affected by the conditions of the environment, such as temperature, humidity or light intensity that influence stoma opening, and cuticle and cell wall permeability [31]. Therefore, regarding the results of the physical characteristics in pepper plants (_Capsicum annuum_ L.), the use of Biostimulant Reabilit(r) Algas can be of high value. Based on the results obtained in the Foliar Analysis Bulletin of Macronutrient Content (Table 5), the accumulation of nutrients in plants was determined as a function of dry matter of the aerial part-DMAP (see data from Table 3). The correct nutrient management is a necessary practice for adequate nutrition of the pepper plants and the balanced supply of macro and micronutrients is essential to coordinate absorption of nutrients by the plant [26]. Another aspect to be considered is the specific plant nutrient requirement. It should establish the right amounts of nutrients to be applied as fertilizers in order to lead the best yields [31]. The ideal range of soil pH for cultivating pepper should be between 5.5 and 6.8 [32]. The value found in our substrate was 6.3. The increased macronutrient concentration in the leaf tissue, which resulted from the treatments (Table 5) may be related to better absorption and reuse of these nutrients. This also resulted in the higher production of dry mass of the aerial part-DMAP in kg.1000 plants\({}^{-1}\), mainly in the T2, T3 and T4 treatments (Table 3). Regarding the accumulation of nutrients (N, Ca, Mg, S, K and P), the order of nutrients absorbed by pepper was observed after application of Reabilit(r) Algas. When T2 treatment was applied, the accumulation (AC) of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S was 240%, 100%, 159%, 191%, 182% and 172%, respectively, higher than nutrient accumulation evidenced by the control. According to [PERSON] [33], the main requirements are in order: K, Ca and N.  
According to the same author [33], the adequate macronutrient content in pepper leaves at the flowering is: N from 20 to 60 g.kg\({}^{-1}\), P from 2.2 to 7.0 g.kg\({}^{-1}\), K from 40 to 60 g.kg\({}^{-1}\), Ca from 10 to 25 g.kg\({}^{-1}\), Mg from 3 to 10 g.kg\({}^{-1}\) and S from 4 to 6.2 g.kg\({}^{-1}\). Macronutrient content in our experiment was in the appropriate range for the pepper culture. In a study with lettuce grown under ideal conditions, it was observed that the application of commercial extract of _Ekonia maxima_ (Phaeophyceaeae) improved the yield and the concentration of Ca, K and Mg in the leaves [34]. Another product based on _E. maxima_, when applied on the leaf or root of stressed cucumbers, increased the root growth and amounts of P and N [35]. [PERSON] et al. [36] tested a commercial product based on seaweed, via leaf, in tomato culture, which increased the content of mineral nutrients in the following order (N, P, K, Ca, Zn and Fe). The concentrated extracts of seaweed can provoke a series of beneficial responses in vegetables, such as: improvement of plant vigour, root development, chlorophyll synthesis, promotion of early flowering, fruiting and fruit uniformity, as well as delay in senescence, prolongation of the product's shelf life, improvement of nutritional quality, providing tolerance to water stress, saline and frost, attenuating diseases, promoting tolerance to bacteria and fungi, assisting in pest control, in the control of soil nematodes, and having adjuvant action in mixtures with pesticides [30].