Agriculture, the biostimulant frontier is worth 5 billion in Europe

Who ever imagined that agricultural production could be improved by using algae? Or that resilience tools could be identified from commodities such as rice, soya, herbs and alfalfa? Or that, instead of fighting them, one could select bacteria capable of improving plant productivity and product quality?

It is the new frontier of biostimulants, a promising segment of research in the field of fertilisers and technical means of support for agri-food production identified within the range of tools available in nature (starting from raw materials of plant or animal origin), also favouring an important leap forward in the field of the environmental sustainability of production.

The challenge, increasingly ambitious, is now clear to many: to increase agri-food production for a growing world population and in a context of climate change while reducing environmental impact. An articulated challenge that can only be met by relying on scientific research because only through research is it possible to identify tools and methodologies to preserve agricultural production from extreme weather events and environmental stress (high temperatures, drought, excessive salinity), to spread agricultural techniques in territories previously considered unsuitable, to increase the resilience of plants, their productivity and the quality of products in areas where agri-food production is well-established.

Biostimulants act along two lines: either by directly improving plant performance or by favouring a general improvement of the 'rhizosphere', i.e. the habitat in which the plant lives. This means the soil that surrounds the roots and contains water, mineral salts, organic compounds and a multitude of microorganisms that can interact with the plant's roots themselves, modulating its nutrition, growth and resistance to environmental stresses.

"Biostimulants," commented the president of Assofertilizzanti, Paolo Girelli, "currently represent a significant share of the fertiliser market, but they are a type of product that is undergoing intense and rapid evolution, sustained by significant investments in research and development by companies in the sector. In the last 10 years, the supply of this type of formulation has grown at a rate of more than 10% per year, with a turnover of 5 billion at the European level and - we estimate - 7-800 million euro at the Italian level. Biostimulants are just one example of the ongoing commitment of fertiliser manufacturers to develop and make available high quality preparations to support agricultural growth'.