Impact Of Biostimulants Research Articles

Assessing the Influence of Biostimulants on the Growth and Crop Yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

This study, carried out at "C" Block Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, during the 2022–23 period, to find out the impact of biostimulants on the growth and yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). The primary goals include examining the significant effects of biostimulants and determining the optimal dosage of the biostimulant, aligning with the growing emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices. The farm, situated near the Tropic of Cancer, exhibits coordinates of approximately 22.89°N latitude and 88.45°E longitude, with an altitude of around 9.75 m above sea level. The experimental design utilized a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and five treatments. Results highlight that the growth and yield parameters of Okra were notably influenced by the foliar application of modulin. Specifically, applying 2.5 kg ha-1 of Modulin spray at 25 & 40 days after sowing (DAS) along with 100% NPK demonstrated to be economically rewarding and advantageous for achieving a higher yield of Okra."

Application of biostimulants in agriculture: Effects on plant growth and yield

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of biostimulants, such as humic acid preparation, Seaweed algae extract and microbial preparation BaikalEM, on plant growth and yield. The impact of biostimulants on plant development and crop yields was studied on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) and maize (Zea mays). To achieve this goal, field studies were conducted to compare different biostimulants in terms of germination and yield (total crop weight, weight of a single fruit, sugar, starch and protein content). The study was conducted in April-August 2023 in the Sumy district of the Sumy region. Standard agronomic methods, including soil cultivation, measurement of plant growth and yield parameters, and statistical processing of the data were used in the study. The results showed that humic acids and algae extract, when applied separately, provided the highest seed germination and yield. Among all the variants of combined application, the most significant increase in germination rates for beetroot was provided by treatment with a combination of Seaweed and Baikal-EM – 91.7%. For maize, Seaweed with humic acids and Seaweed with Baikal-EM are 92% each. The combination of Seaweed and humic acids had the best effect on the yield of both crops: 460.9 c/ha for beetroot (compared to 325 c/ha without treatment) and 61 c/ha for corn (41.5 c/ha without treatment). The microbial preparation Baikal also demonstrated a positive effect, but its results were lower, and it proved effective in combination with humic acids. The results obtained indicate the feasibility of using humic acids and algae extract to increase plant productivity, while Baikal can be useful for improving the general condition of soil and plants in combination with other fertilisers

Efficient PAHs removal and CO2 fixation by marine microalgae in wastewater using an airlift photobioreactor for biofuel production

Microalgae cultures have emerged as a promising strategy in diverse areas, ranging from wastewater treatment to biofuel production, thus contributing to the search for carbon neutrality. These photosynthetic organisms can utilize the resources present in wastewater and fix atmospheric CO2 to produce biomass with high energy potential. In this study, the removal efficiency of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), CO2 fixation and lipid content in the biomass produced from microalgae grown in airlift photobioreactor were evaluated. Four mesoscale cultures were carried out: Control (Seawater + Conway medium), Treatment A (Oil Produced Water + Poultry Effluent Water), Treatment B (Poultry Effluent Water + Seawater) and Treatment C (Oil Produced Water, Seawater and nutrients). The impact of biostimulation, through the addition of nutrients, on PAHs removal efficiency (up to 90%), CO2 fixation rate (up to 0.20 g L−1 d−1) and the composition of the generated biomass was observed. Primarily, the addition of nitrates to the culture medium impacted CO2 fixation rate of the microalgae. In addition, a direct correlation was observed between PAHs removal and lipid accumulation in the biomass, up to 36% in dry weight, demonstrating microalgae's ability to take advantage of the organic carbon (PAHs) present in the culture medium to generate lipid-rich biomass. The concentration of polysaccharides in the biomass obtained did not exceed 12% on a dry weight basis, and the Higher Heating Value (HHV) ranged between 17 and 21 MJ kg−1. Finally, the potential of generating hydrogen through pyrolysis was highlighted, taking advantage of the characteristics of biomass as a conversion route to produce biofuels. These results show that microalgae are effective in wastewater treatment and have great potential in producing biofuels, thus contributing to the transition towards more sustainable energy sources and climate change mitigation.

Moving towards a mechanistic understanding of biostimulant impacts on soil properties and processes: a semi-systematic review

Biostimulants are gaining prominence in scientific research, with the potential to enhance plant productivity through benefits to crop yield/quality and tolerance to environmental stresses. Through possible improvements to nutrient use efficiency, they may also lessen the adverse environmental impacts of conventional inorganic fertilizer use in agriculture. The application of biostimulants is currently uncommon as a farming practice, with uncertain effectiveness in delivering these potential benefits. Current research focuses on biostimulant effects on plant physiological changes. There is little scientific evidence on the impact of biostimulants on soil properties (biological, physical, or chemical) or soil functions. This knowledge gap should be addressed considering the vital role of soil processes in the bioavailability of nutrients, as reflected in crop productivity. This review evaluates laboratory and field experimental work on the effectiveness of common, non-microbial biostimulants, with a focus on their modes of action within the soil matrix. Of 2,097 initial articles returned through the search strings, 10 were within the scope of this review. A common soil biostimulant mechanism emerges from this literature. This relates to the supply of nutrients provided by the biostimulants, which stimulate native soil microbiology in mineralizing organic material in the soil, thus producing more bioavailable nutrients for plant uptake. Additionally, some articles link biostimulant effects to soil physical and chemical changes, which in turn impact soil biology (and vice versa). However, there is inconsistent evidence to provide full support for these explanatory mechanisms. This review highlights the need for further research into the effect of biostimulants on the native soil microbiology and associated soil properties, to provide greater clarity on biostimulants’ modes of action and greater mechanistic insights into how they can be used to improve crop production.

The effect of biostimulants on parsnip seed germination and initial growth

Biostimulants are used for seed quality and performance improvement. However, the impact of biostimulants on parsnip seed quality has not been examined. Slow germination of parsnip is often further impeded by stress conditions. This study therefore aimed to assess whether treatments with different biostimulants could enhance seed germination and the initial seedling growth of parsnip. Amino acid and micronutrient-based biostimulants (0.2% solutions (v/v) of Technokel Amino Mix® and Megafol®) improved germination of parsnip seeds under optimal conditions, while biostimulant treatments with humic acid, fulvic acid and micronutrients (0.02% solution (v/v) of Organiko®) enhanced the initial growth. Our findings validate the potential of biostimulant application as a seed treatment. Determination of the main physiological causes of parsnip germination enhancement is needed in further research.

A comprehensive study on diesel oil bioremediation under microcosm conditions using a combined microbiological, enzymatic, mass spectrometry, and metabarcoding approach.

This study aims at the application of a marine fungal consortium (Aspergillus sclerotiorum CRM 348 and Cryptococcus laurentii CRM 707) for the bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil under microcosm conditions. The impact of biostimulation (BS) and/or bioaugmentation (BA) treatments on diesel-oil biodegradation, soil quality, and the structure of the microbial community were studied. The use of the fungal consortium together with nutrients (BA/BS) resulted in a TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon) degradation 42% higher than that obtained by natural attenuation (NA) within 120days. For the same period, a 72 to 92% removal of short-chain alkanes (C12 to C19) was obtained by BA/BS, while only 3 to 65% removal was achieved by NA. BA/BS also showed high degradation efficiency of long-chain alkanes (C20 to C24) at 120 days, reaching 90 and 92% of degradation of icosane and heneicosane, respectively. In contrast, an increase in the levels of cyclosiloxanes (characterized as bacterial bioemulsifiers and biosurfactants) was observed in the soil treated by the consortium. Conversely, the NA presented a maximum of 37% of degradation of these alkane fractions. The 5-ringed PAH benzo(a)pyrene, was removed significantly better with the BA/BS treatment than with the NA (48 vs. 38 % of biodegradation, respectively). Metabarcoding analysis revealed that BA/BS caused a decrease in the soil microbial diversity with a concomitant increase in the abundance of specific microbial groups, including hydrocarbon-degrading (bacteria and fungi) and also an enhancement in soil microbial activity. Our results highlight the great potential of this consortium for soil treatment after diesel spills, as well as the relevance of the massive sequencing, enzymatic, microbiological and GC-HRMS analyses for a better understanding of diesel bioremediation.

The influence of the biostimulator on the yield components and yield of faba bean (Vicia faba var. minor)

Faba bean is the third most important legume species after peas and beans in the world. The study on the influence of the biostimulator Slavol-S on the morphological and production characteristics of faba beans (Vicia faba var. minor) were carried out in the growing seasons of two successive years, in the agro-ecological conditions of Banja Luka. During the field research, the following parameters were analyzed: plant height (cm), number of pods per plant, pod length (cm), number of grains per pod, weight of grains per pod (g), harvest index (%) and grain yield (kg ha-1). Two-year average height of the plants in the control treatment was 81.3 cm and under the treatment with biostimulator Slavol-S it was 105.1 cm. The effect of the treatment with the biostimulator on the height was highly significant in both years. Two-year average number of pods per plant in the control treatment was 9.25, while in the treatment with the biostimulator it was 12.38. The effect of biostimulator on the number of pods per plant was highly significant. In the control variant, two year average number of seed per plant was 1.97, while biostimulator treatment provided 2.41 seeds per plant. Two year average harvest index under the treatment with biostimulator was 9.33% higher than in the control variant. The impact of biostimulants was highly statistically significant and is recommended for improving beans production.

Temporal changes in the extractability, bioaccessibility and biodegradation of target hydrocarbons in soils from former refinery facilities

This study investigated the extractability, bioaccessibility and biodegradation of 14C-phenanthrene and 14C-octacosane in two soils from former oil refinery facilities over 341 days. The impact of biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatments was also evaluated. At 0, 31, 62, 124 and 341 days, the loss and extractability (using dichloromethane, methanol:water and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD)) of the 14C-hydrocarbons were measured. Further at each time point, the mineralisation of the 14C-hydrocarbons was measured respirometrically under the different conditions. In general, extractions with methanol: water and HPCD were similar for both hydrocarbons in the different treatments; however, these values were less that those measured with DCM. Overall, significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) amounts of 14C-phenanthrene were lost, readily extracted and mineralised in the soils, with treatments having little impact upon the degradation of this hydrocarbon over 341 days. Conversely, bioaugmentation significantly increased the loss of 14C-octacosane residues from soils and sustained degradation after 31 days. Surprisingly, HPCD and methanol:water both under-predicted the extent to which the contaminants were degraded at each time point. Determining the likelihood of effective biodegradation by the stimulation of indigenous microorganisms or through bioaugmentation needs to be assessed by both chemical and biological measurements of bioaccessibility, rather than just by that which is totally extractable from soil. However, soils which have high loadings of organic matter and/or organic contaminants may prevent accurate assessment of contaminant bioaccessibility, as measured by HPCD.

The impact of biostimulation on the fate of sulfate and associated sulfur dynamics in groundwater

The impact of electron-donor addition on sulfur dynamics for a groundwater system with low levels of metal contaminants was evaluated with a pilot-scale biostimulation test conducted at a former uranium mining site. Geochemical and stable-isotope data collected before, during, and after the test were analyzed to evaluate the sustainability of sulfate reducing conditions induced by the test, the fate of hydrogen sulfide, and the impact on aqueous geochemical conditions. The results of site characterization activities conducted prior to the test indicated the absence of measurable bacterial sulfate reduction. The injection of an electron donor (ethanol) induced bacterial sulfate reduction, as confirmed by an exponential decrease of sulfate concentration in concert with changes in oxidation–reduction potential, redox species, alkalinity, production of hydrogen sulfide, and fractionation of δ34S-sulfate. High, stoichiometrically-equivalent hydrogen sulfide concentrations were not observed until several months after the start of the test. It is hypothesized that hydrogen sulfide produced from sulfate reduction was initially sequestered in the form of iron sulfides until the exhaustion of readily reducible iron oxides within the sediment. The fractionation of δ34S for sulfate was atypical, wherein the enrichment declined in the latter half of the experiment. It was conjectured that mixing effects associated with the release of sulfate from sulfate minerals associated with the sediments, along with possible sulfide re-oxidation contributed to this behavior. The results of this study illustrate the biogeochemical complexity that is associated with in-situ biostimulation processes involving bacterial sulfate reduction.

Impact of New Natural Biostimulants on Increasing Synthesis in Plant Cells of Small Regulatory si/miRNA With High Anti-Nematodic Activity

Plant endoparasitic cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii Schmidt, gallic nematode Meloidogyne incognita and stem nematode Ditylenchus destructor damage various agricultural crops. The application of ecologically safe natural biostimulants with bioprotective properties is a newer approach for increasing plant resistance to parasitic nematodes. The molecular-genetic analysis of biostimulants action on plant genome is necessary for creation of new effective bioregulators for plant protection against phytopathogenic organisms. In our field and greenhouse experiments, we investigated the influence of new natural biostimulants Avercom and its derivatives on plant protection against nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and Ditylenchus destructor. Considerable increase of resistance to nematodes and productivity of cucumber and potato were observed for plants treated by biostimulant Avercom and its derivatives. Impact of biostimulants Radostim-super and Avercom on increase of resistance of sugar beet and cucumber sprouts to nematodes Heterodera schachtii and Meloidogyne incognita was studied in the laboratory conditions. Comparative analysis of morpho-physiological signs of control and experimental plants showed that plants treated by Radostim-super and Avercom were more viable and resistant to these nematodes as compared to control sprouts. In the molecular-genetic experiments, we studied the impact of these biostimulants on inducing synthesis of small regulatory si/miRNA, which plays key role in plant immune protection. Using method Dot-blot hybridization we studied degree of homology between si/miRNA with mRNA populations, isolated from plants untreated and treated with new natural biostimulants. We found considerable difference in the degree of homology (6-28%) between populations of mRNA and si/miRNA from nematode-infected plants that were either untreated or treated with biostimulants. We have also investigated silencing of translation of mRNA activity of si/miRNA in the wheat embryo cell-free system of protein synthesis. In these experiments, we found high inhibitory activity (38-65%) of si/miRNA from plants treated by biostimulants as compared to low inhibitory activity (15-20%) of si/miRNA from untreated plants. Obtained differences in the degree of homology between populations of mRNA and si/miRNA from untreated and treated with biostimulants plants, which were infected by nematode, and also the high inhibitory activity of si/miRNA from plants treated by biostimulants confirm that these biostimulants induce synthesis of anti-nematodic si/miRNA in plants, resulting in considerable increase of their resistance to these phytopathogens.