A new comprehensive review spanning 25 years of field-based research has shed light on the growing role of biostimulants in boosting wheat productivity, resilience and sustainability amid intensifying climate pressures.
The study, titled "Evaluating Wheat Response to Biostimulants: A 25-Year Review of Field-Based Research (2000–2024)," analyzes 222 scientific publications and offers a sweeping bibliometric analysis of global trends, collaborations and research evolution in the field.
Wheat, a staple foodfor more than half the world’s population, is under increasing threat from climate change, soil degradation and the rising demand for sustainable farming practices. And biostimulants are emerging as powerful tools to meet these challenges without relying heavily on chemical fertilizers.
According to the review, research on wheat’s response to biostimulants has grown at an average annual rate of 15.6 percent since 2000, with a sharp rise in the last five years. This surge is closely aligned with global policy shifts toward sustainable agriculture, such as the European Green Deal, the UN Food Systems Summit, and the FAO’s Sustainable Plant Production Framework.
The study reveals that Asia has been at the forefront of biostimulant research, contributing 59.4 percent of the global publication share. Asia not only leads in research output, but also in cumulative citations, accounting for 2,496 citation or nearly 41 percent of global totals. Countries like Pakistan, India and Egypt lead in output, while Saudi Arabia stands out for its high levels of international collaboration:91.7 percent of its researchinvolves cross-country efforts,and all its biostimulant studiesare collaborative at theinstitutional level.
Europe follows with 18.1 percent of publications, while Africa, with 11.6 percent, has made notable strides in recent years, particularly in regions confronting food insecurity and climate stress. Meanwhile, North America, South America and Oceania lag in publication volume but are gradually showingmore activity.
The review noted that Asia’s dominance is attributed to both its status as a top wheat-producing region and its pressing environmental challenges – including drought andheavy metal contamination – that drive innovation in sustainable farming techniques. Yet, despite high output, the international impact of research from Asia remains limited due to regional focus and publication barriers.
Shifting research priorities The bibliometric analysis identifies a clear evolution in research priorities. Early studies emphasized traditional organic inputs like farmyard manure and microbial inoculants. Recent trends show a shift toward sophisticated formulations, such as silicon, seaweed extracts and microbial blends, targeting abiotic stress resilience, nutrient efficiency and yield optimization.
Despite these advancements, significant gaps remain. Most notably, studies tend to focus on single biostimulants, even though integrated formulations may offer superior performance. The long-term effects of biostimulants on soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling are also underexplored, with most trials limited to one or two growing seasons.
The review noted that there’s also a lack of standardized application protocols. Dosages, timing and delivery methods vary widely across studies, making comparisons difficult. This variability underscores the need for harmonized research guidelines tailored to specific climates, soils and wheat genotypes.
The review also calls for more research into the economic viability of biostimulant use, particularly for smallholder farmers in climate-vulnerable regions. While biostimulants can reduce dependency on costly chemical fertilizers, their affordability, accessibility and integration into national agricultural policies remain key hurdles.
“The adoption of biostimulants is not just a scientific issue – it’s a socio-economic and political one,” the study notes.
The future of wheatbiostimulant research Looking forward, the review posited that research needs to pivot from “experimental diversity” to “actionable insights”. Integrated studies that assess multiple biostimulants in combination, under diverse field conditions, and across longer timelines are essential, the review stated. Understanding the interaction between biostimulants and the soil microbiome could lead to next-generation products tailored for specific agroecological zones.
Further, research should include socio-economic factors – cost, accessibility and farmer adoption – especially in regions vulnerable to food insecurity. Collaborative frameworks, such as international consortia and open-access data platforms, could also help bridge regional gaps in research and dissemination.
The review concludes with a call for multi-year, multi-location studies to assess the long-term sustainability of biostimulant use, not just for wheat productivity but for ecosystem health. ●
An administrative deadline has been looming in Indiaregarding biostimulant legislation – the 16th of June. But why does this date have particular significance? The story goes back to the very origins of biostimulant regulation in India. New AG International’s editor-in-chief spoke with BASAI’s CEO Vipin Saini to learn about the chronology of biostimulant regulation in India and how it led tothe 16th of June crunch.
Vipin Saini, CEO of Biologicals Agri Solutions Association of India, BASAI, gave a presentation at the 23rd New AG International Annual event in Bangkok, April 2025.
“It's interesting that you ask the chronology because very few people are interested in such kind of information,” begins Vipin Saini, who is CEO of Biologicals Agri Solutions Association of India, BASAI, and former executive director (ED) of CropLife India and Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI).
The story starts in 2012 when the Government of India started taking samples of biological products being sold openly in the market. The inspectors of the Government of India for Post Quality Control found that these biologicals were containing chemical pesticides or biorational chemicals.
“Now the government was in a fix. These so-called biological or herbal/biological products were available in the country, but were difficult to control for one very simple reason – such products were not legislated or regulated under any law,” explained Saini.
Companies were mixing chemicals with biologicals to give them a unique impact. “And not only pesticides, but also plant growth regulators (PGRs),” continued Saini. Companies selling these mixed products could do so safe in the knowledge that they were not breaking any law.
That was stage one, as Saini puts it. From his connection with CropLife India and having been the one to initiate the process as ED-ACFI in 2017, and having written several books on the regulations of pesticides, Saini was an obvious choice to help the government finda solution.
In December 2016, Sudhir Bhargava, a board member of ICAR –
the Indian Council of Agriculture Research – gave a presentation to the Registration Committee, which is the committee that approves pesticides in India, as well as biologicals, PGRs and pheromones.
The basic message from Bhargava’s presentation was there were various products containing biologicals being sold across the country and these needed to be regulated. This was communicated to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which then set up a special committee under the Chairmanship of the Director General (DG) ICAR in 2017, which was formed with expressed intention of regulating this novel product type – biostimulants.
Which regulating body? The next quandary was which regulating body should be responsible for biostimulants. Should they come under pesticides or fertilizers?
These biostimulant products were being laced with chemicals, pesticides and PGRs, which are regulated under the Insecticides Act 1968. Therefore, the Committee decided that a toxicology evaluation for these products should be mandatory.
“The existing fertilizer law comes under the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO), which is a notified order under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 of India,” explains Saini. He stressed the significance of it being a notified order, which in layman’s terms mean that it is a regulatory notification under a piece of legislation. Initially it was felt that biostimulants would not be able to be regulated under the FCO.
“So, a subcommittee was further formed within that committee under the chairmanship of the Assistant Director General, Plant Protection and Biosafety of the Government of India to formulate a particular guidance document on regulating biostimulants under the Insecticides Act,” continued Saini.
Birth of BASAI At this point Saini takes a step back to weave in how BASAI became involved. Saini was a founder and executive director of Agrochem Federation of India (ACFI). It was at a board meeting when a member from the company Biostadt spoke on the need for biostimulant regulation. It was through ACFI that a guidance document was prepared for regulating biostimulants and shared with ICAR. “This happened sometime in 2017-18,” noted Saini.
Following a series of subcommittee meetings, by 2019 a toxicology document had been prepared and published under the Insecticides Act. In the same year, BASAI was formed with the aim of developing the legislation for biostimulants. Once again, there was the question of which legislation biostimulants should come under:
“Most of the stakeholders did not want biostimulants to be regulated under the Insecticides Act for two reasons. Firstly, in a global sense, biostimulants are normally considered under the fertiliser legislation of those countries. Secondly, pesticides are that category of chemicals, which are the most stringently regulated across the globe, so nobody wanted them to come under that.
“Through the efforts of BASAI, we managed to get it across under the fertiliser legislation of India,” added Saini. The first draught was a mixture of the present guidelines that the subcommittee had formulated and other documents.
In February 2021, the document was published, and effectively that is the birthdate of biostimulant regulation in India.
“The day it was published, everybody from the whole industry could see what the pain points would be. So, we needed to address that,” continued Saini. More of that later.
“I believe we beat the EU in bringing [biostimulant] legislation, but when I see the document, I say, let’s give them the privilege of being the first.” Saini refers to the EU legislation Fertilising Products Regulation
(FPR), which includes biostimulants, and which came into effect inJuly 2022.
That leaves India as the second to bring a fixed legislation for biostimulants.
Defining moment The EU and India brought different definitions to their legislation. The EU refers to these products as plant biostimulants, but in India, they are referred to simply as a biostimulant.
“There are many biostimulants that are registered in Europe which are actually registered in India as biofertilizers,” notes Saini.
To give the full definition in the Indian text, it states a “biostimulant” means a substance or microorganism or a combination of both whose primary function when applied to plants, seeds or rhizosphere is to stimulate physiological processes in plants and to enhance its nutrient uptake, growth, yield, nutrition efficiency, crop quality and tolerance to stress, regardless of its nutrient content, but does not include pesticides or plant growth regulators which are regulated under the Insecticide Act, 1968 (46 of 1968).
“So, it's not a pesticide or a plant growth regulator. The last line clearly states that,” said Saini.
After the publication of the guidance document, the Ministry of Agriculture enquired as to why BASAI was only talking about biostimulants when its name includes biological agri solutions. “So that's when we changed our focus to biologicals as a complete set: biofertilizers, biostimulantsand biopesticides.”
Pain point The pain point that was alluded to by Saini refers to the state of the biostimulants market when the regulation came about in February 2021.
“To avoid disruption of supply of biostimulants that were already in the market both from responsible players and the unorganised sector, the Government of India when notifying this piece of regulation in 2021 February, stated that those companies which were selling their products three years prior to The Gazette being notified could continue selling their products and would be given a provisional registration based on certain requirements.”
“Now the thinking process behind this was that if the product was already in the market three years prior to the notification, those products would be considered safe. There were certifications required from state governments that required companies to state that their brand was being sold for the past three years and had no environmental impact or human impact whatsoever.”
This was initially done for six months.
“There were a large number of small players for a provisional registration and if I'm not mistaken, the figure is 38,000 applications.” This came as a shock to the Ministry of Agriculture, which was only used to handling a few fertilizer applications a year.
A bottleneck then developed, which had another knock-on effect.
“The government was not well prepared to handle all these [provisional] applications and then about 500 applications started flowing in for permanent registration,” said Saini.
Missing word There was one important word that was missing from the original biostimulant regulation – the word ‘importer’. Getting importers included in the regulation was important since many sellers were importing seaweeds, generally Ascophyllum nodosum, which is not produced in India.
“The word manufacturer was prominent over. But the word
“importer” was absent, so BASAI, along with along with CropLife India, were able to get a notification in March 2022,” explained Saini, “along with the extension for the validity of the provisional registration.”
Extending extensionsExtensions for the validity of provisional registrations have been extended since the establishment of the regulation. “But even till now, many of the provisional registrations that were applied for have not been scrutinised or given a chance to be further scrutinised,” expands Saini.
There was another deadline of 22 February 2025, which came and went. Then 17 March. And now there is the 16 June, the date mentioned at the start.
The reason for the extensions is partly down to the wording in the notice published by The Gazette (where government laws and regulations are published) when giving the 16th June extension.
“That Gazette has a flaw,” states Saini. “The flaw is that it gives permission for the provisional registry to manufacture the product till 16th of June 2025.
“So, if you manufacture a product, even on the 15th of June, how are you going to sell that off? Because you don't have any other registration in your hand, so you need a permanent registration, right? So that is the significance of 16th of June for the industry,” noted Saini.
Are further extensions desirable? The answer to this question depends on where you are sitting. “Most of the unorganised sector wants a further extension; we as an organised sector have identifiedtwo solutions.”
The first solution involves invoking a clause from the fertilizer law that first time registrants (Form G applicants) can automatically get a provisional registration. Saini argues that the government has done this before – referred to as ‘precedences’ – and that BASAI can demonstrate this has been done before.
The second solution has two parts and takes stock of inventory and provides enough time for a company to liquidate its stocks. Again, Saini says they can show this has been done before. He would propose a two- to three-year liquidation period that would be appropriate for the shelf-life of the products. A variation of this solution would also be to sell products until the end of the 2025 Kharif season, which would accommodate companies manufacturing up to the 16th June.
Data package required To become a registered product, the government requires a data package. To date, only 11 have been notified, says Saini, with another 34 near to being notified and another 460 in the process. Once a product has been notified it can be manufactured by other companies without the need for any further registration. In this way the availability of products can grow in the market. It is unlikely, or even undesirable, to try to assess 38,000 products.
Next stepsBASAI had a board meeting on 5 May. “At this meeting, it was determined that in collaboration with CropLife India and ACFI, as an industry we will collectively push the proposed solutions to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,” Saini told New AG International in an update email.
One announcement that came out at the end of May was the addition of new biostimulant specifications to the Fertilizer Control Order (1985).
Dated in the Official Gazette(26 May 2025), introduces new entries in Schedule VI, Part A, which outlines the “Specifications of Biostimulants”. The new biostimulant and product categories were humic and fulvic acid and their derivatives, including liquid and granular forms; seaweed extract derived from Ascophyllum nodosum and Kappaphycus alvarezii, along
with a liquid mixture of Kappaphycus alvarezii and Sargassum swartzii (1:1); botanical extract in the form of a liquid extract of spirulina and a liquid extract of Adhatoda vasica (English common name Malabar nut); mixed formulations of bostimulants: several new liquid and powder mixtures are now included, such as a mixture of seaweed extract and algal extract, a blend of seaweed extract, humic and fulvic acid, amino acids, and vitamins, a mixture of antioxidants and vitamins; protein hydrolysates and amino acids; cell free microbial products, with examples given as specifications for a liquid lipo-chitooligosaccharides; live microorganisms; and referencesto bio-chemicals.
When making the amendment, the government said it was part of ongoing efforts to regulate the quality and standards of biostimulants in the agricultural sector, ensuring farmers have access to effective andstandardised products.
In a communication, BASAI says more needs to be done. This includes clarity on the extension for Form G1 applicants, and whether provisional registration will be granted only to companies who were in the Indian Market three years prior to the said regulation being notified on 23.02.2021. Another is the toxicological evaluations: “…despite the fact that three years down the line, the data requirements on safety evaluation had been waived off for certain categories in May 2024,” said BASAI. Then there is clarity on shelf-life data, and import and export protocols.
BASAI concludes: "Many more issues that need to be discussed and deliberated … wherein biostimulants may be looked upon as complimentary agri-inputs in helping reduce the burden of chemical agri-inputs.”
And concluding the meeting with New AG International, Sainiconfirms that he and BASAI will be busy for a good few years to come. Charting the chronology has only just begun. ●
There are many biostimulants that are registered in Europe which are actually registered in India as biofertilizers.
If the product was already in the market three years prior to the notification, those products would be considered safe.
Many more issues need to be discussed and deliberated … wherein biostimulants may be looked upon as complimentary agri-inputs in helping reduce the burden of chemical agri-inputs.
Koppert has transferred the management of its biostimulant and fertilizer portfolio to REKA Group. B.V. Koppert subsidiaries will continue to distribute the products.
The transition impacts the products that were marketed under the trademarks Veni, Vidi and Vici, and some additional products such as Panoramix. REKA takes over the production, logistics, R&D, regulatory
affairs, and sales and marketing of these products.
REKA is a carve-out of Koppert Biological Systems and builds on decades of expertise in soil health and regenerative agriculture. The company began as part of Koppert in 2013 and became an independent entity in 2024.
The transfer of product registrations and trademarks is expected to be
completed in 2025. The impact on the existing portfolio, including which products will remain or will be discontinued and the corresponding effectuation dates, differsby country.
The products will continue to be distributed through the Koppert distribution network. REKA will also distribute through its self-acquired distribution channels. ●
AlgaEnergy has expanded its portfolio with four new CE-marked biostimulants, available across Europe.
Among the new additions, the company indicated that one stands out in particular: a microalgae-based biostimulant specifically designed for olive cultivation and validated through independent field trials.
The company said this biostimulant “has proven to enhance the healthiness and quality of the olive oil naturally and consistently, by improving the lipidic profiles, reducing oxidation and extending shelf-life.”
AlgaEnergy stated that various studies confirmed that applying the biostimulant to olive trees leads to higher levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats; reduced saturated fats and peroxide index; and, improved yield, oil stability and shelf life. ●
Cultiva has received official registration for Parka as a biostimulant under the European Union (EU) fertilizer regulation.
The registration for Parka was granted under the Product Function Category (PFC) 6 (B) (non-microbial plant biostimulant), according toEU regulation.
A crop cuticle supplement, Parka is registered for use in woody perennial crops including apples, cherries, citrus, grapes, nut crops, andstone fruits.
Powered by SureSeal technology, Parka features a patented phospholipid formulation with a novel mode of action that the company says strengthens the fruit and leaf cuticles. By supplementing the cuticle, Parka helps protect plants against environmentalstress, reduce microfractures which lead to cracking, and provide sunburn protection. ●
MAFA Bioscience has obtained CE certification for its biostimulant product.
Mycobrow is based on virginmyco-transformed materialsby the saprobic microorganism Pycnoporus cinnabarinus,MAFA Bioscience toldNew AG International.
This is the first MAFA product to obtain this certification, which is in accordance with the European Regulation 2019/1009, and allows marketing in the 27 countries of the European Union.
This certification confirms the benefits of Mycobrow, said MAFA, and was demonstrated through relevant studies and trials submitted to the regulatory authority, covering extensive, perennial woody and horticultural species.
These benefits include the ability to increase plant development, through root improvement, and aboveground biomass (g/plant), as well as production yield (kg/plant), marketable fruit proportion (kg/plant), and dry weight yield (kg/ha).
As well as fruit quality improvements, the company says that product leads to an increase in total biomass (g/plant), relative growth rate (g/day), total fruit production (kg/plant, kg/ha),and marketable fruit production (kg/plant). ●
The Mosaic Company has launched its biostimulant Neptunion in China.
The company said Neptunion helps crops address abiotic pressures such as drought, salinity and heat by adding stress resistant properties into water soluble fertilizers.
The product is currently undergoing the registration process in Indiaand Brazil.
Mosaic Company, a producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients, unveiled its bioscience arm in September 2023. The company provides a single-source supply of phosphate, potash and biological products for the global agriculture industry. ●
A novel biostimulant could deliver increased wheat yields of up to 12 percent, according to researchers from Oxford University, Rothamsted, and the Rosalind Franklin Institute in a long-term study.
The biostimulant is based on trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P), a signalling molecule that regulates the plant equivalent of “blood sugar.” T6P acts as a molecular switch that prompts the plant to produce more starch, the world’s most significant food carbohydrate, and increases the rate of photosynthesis. It can be applied to a number of key food crops including wheat and rice.
The novel biostimulant was developed through years of collaborative research between Professor Ben Davis (Oxford University and now also The Rosalind Franklin Institute) and Dr. Matthew Paul (Rothamsted). Earlier experiments in controlled environments looked promising, and this new study has confirmed that the application could deliver major yield improvements for wheat in field conditions. Overall, the treatment caused an average yield increase of +10.4 percent.
The new findings are based on a four year-long field study using plots at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico and The National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA), Argentina. Not only did T6P increase wheat yields in each of the four years in the trials in Argentina and in an additional year at CIMMYT in Mexico, but it did so irrespective of rainfall, the major uncontrolled abiotic factor that limits cropyields globally.
“We also designed a new synthetic chemical production route, which generated intermediate molecules in a crystalline form. This ultimately enabled industrial-scale manufacture that allowed these field trials to go ahead, by producing the biostimulant in larger quantities. We believe that it suggests a new path for sustainable agriculture,” said Davis.
The researchers say it may even be possible to reduce fertilizer applications as T6P treatment also activates genes for amino acid and protein synthesis in grain. This is important because a major issue in new higher-yielding wheat varieties is protein content becoming diluted. This means that more fertilizer is then required to maintain the quality needed in, for example, bread making.
Oxford University and Rothamsted created SugaROx, a spinout company, to deliver this research to farmers.
Dr. Cara Griffiths, lead author of the research paper and now CSO of SugaROx, said it’s “exciting to be able to take cutting-edge technology from the bench to the field. Getting this kind of impact is often difficult to translate to the field, and this work demonstrated that novel crop inputs have huge promise to enhance yield and resilience in our cropping systems, something that is particularly important in a rapidly changing climate.” ●
Wheat ears and grains (left panel), and sorghum panicles (right panel), showing the yield increase caused by applicatoins of the novel trehalose6-phosphate-based biostimulant.
Image credit: Rothamsted
The UK’s James Hutton Institute has announced its involvement in a pioneering new research project, ‘Assessing Sugar Kelp Extractsas a Nutrient Management tool’ (SKE-NMT).
The project is spearheaded by Algapelago Marine Ltd. in collaboration Atlantic Mariculture Ltd. and the UK Agri-Tech Centre,to investigate how biologicallydriven nutrient management strategies can improve soil health and crop performance.
Backed by Innovate UK anda coalition of industry experts,the project aims to foster plant resilience while optimising soil microbial and fungal ecosystems through leveraging the natural properties of seaweed biostimulants and reducing reliance onmineral fertilisers.
The research will also lay the groundwork for larger-scale field trials, further investigating the
impact of kelp-derived biostimulants on nutrient use efficiency (NUE).
Previous studies suggest that applying seaweed extracts to the collection of microorganisms that live in the soil and around plant roots and play an essential role in the degradation of organic matter, nutrient retention and recycling, can significantly enhance microbial diversity and improve crop yield and quality. This project builds upon prior research, including an Innovate UK-supported initiative on low-energy kelp extraction for soil and livestock applications.
It will examine the potential of biostimulants derived from sugar kelp through an innovativelow-energy extraction process,
to improve soil conditions and enhance nutrient use efficiency.
Speaking of the project, Dr. Gordon McDougall, research leader at the Hutton, said, “We are delighted to bring our expertise in seaweed biochemistry, biostimulants and crop trials to this important research project. Understanding how these novel low-energy seaweed extracts can maintain or improve crop yield whilst altering the soil microbiota and reducing inputs of nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers could provide new approaches for greener agriculture.”
Luke Ansell, head of operations at Algapelago Marine Ltd, said, “We’re thrilled to have secured funding for a second Innovate UK project focused on the development of kelp biostimulants. The project aims to address data gaps and build the evidence case for the role of cultivated seaweed extracts in modern crop production. The SKE-NMT will test the hypothesis that sugar kelp extracts can improve plant nutrient use efficiency here in the UK.”
Cultivated kelp provides a sustainable and scalable alternative to wild-harvested marine biomass but the potential of novel cultivated seaweed biomass, especially in applications like biostimulants, remains under-explored.
This project seeks to establish an innovative supply chain where cultivated seaweed biomass plays a crucial role in the transition to global sustainable agricultural practices.
The Hutton will quantify the ability of these low-energy seaweed extracts to improve NUE in stringently designed crop trials. The trials will explore yield responses under reduced nitrate and phosphate conditions and correlate improved uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus under fertiliser limitation with impacts on microbial diversity and community structure.
It will merge the development of new technologies (novel seaweed extracts) with further means to improve NUE in arable and horticultural systems. ●
Harvesting seaweed.Image credit:The James Hutton Institute
French biostimulant specialist Olmix has released trial results using its biostimulant products in seed potato production.
The company describes the results as “a significant breakthrough in the potato sector.”
“After several years of rigorous evaluation, the world’s leading seed potato producer HZPC has confirmed the remarkable performance of Algomel foliar biosolutions in increasing marketable yield,” Olmix said in its statement.
The company said that the trials were carried out in the Netherlands with the Royal Agrifirm Cooperative and SPNA AgroResearch Experimentation Centre.
The results, which were confirmed by HZPC, showed a 5.4 percent improvement in marketable yield, and an average net economic gain of over Euro 2,100/ha for seed potato growers in 2024.
The statement said that regular performance was observed on all varieties tested, which included Innovator, Cardyma, Libra, Quintera and Travolta.
The treatment program included products designed to support the crop throughout the growing cycle. One of the three products was Algomel Push, which is based on red seaweed extract and manganese, and is used to support tuberization.
“These biosolutions can be easily integrated into existing cultivation practices, as they are compatible with the usual fungicide treatments, without the need for additional passes,” said the company.
Charles Marchand, executive VP of Olmix’s plant care division commenting on the results said: “This recognition of the performance of our technology, and behind it of the expertise and know-how of the Olmix teams, is already reflected in the tripling of our sales in Benelux in the first quarter. The market for seed potato production, and beyond, is considerable, and we intend to capitalize on these initial results to accelerate our development.” ●
The University of Sharjah (UOS) in the UAE has signed a collaborative research agreement with DAVAS Prime Middle East Manufacturing.
The agreement aims to foster research collaboration focused on enhancing the efficacy of glauconite as a soil ameliorant in arid and torrid desert environments. This enhancement will be achieved through glauconite’s integration with biochar and biostimulants with the ultimate objective of fostering sustainable agricultural practices throughout the Gulf region, the Middle East and North Africa.
Glauconite is a dull green, earthy iron potassium silicate mineral, a member of the mica group, commonly found as grains or pellets in marine sedimentary rocks, particularly in greensand formations, and forms in shallow marine environments. When used as a soil amendment, glauconite exhibits the potential to enhance moisture retention capabilities and supplement deficient soils with vital minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium. Some research adds that it enhances soil properties and structure. Historically, glauconite was used as a potassium fertilizer in agriculture due to itshigh potassium content.
According to a news release, the partnership will advance joint applied research projects “centering on improving the properties of desert soils and increasing their productivity through the strategic application and refinementof glauconite.”
The research project will unfold in two distinct phases: The initial phase will encompass controlled greenhouse experiments designed to ascertain the optimal blend of glauconite, biochar and biostimulants for the cultivation of both wheat and lettuce. The subsequent phase will entail field trials conducted at the wheat farm in the Mleiha region of Sharjah, with a view to validating the effectiveness of these amendments under authentic agricultural conditions.
It is anticipated that the findings of this research will contribute to improvements in soil fertility, increase crop yields, enhance the efficiency of water utilization, and foster a more resilient microbial ecosystem within the soil. These advancements are expected to facilitate the wider adoption of sustainable agricultural practices over the long term in arid andsemi-arid regions. ●
The agreement was signed at the University campus by Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies,and Ms. Marina Strogonova, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DAVAS Prime Middle East Manufacturing.
