How biostimulants work

How biostimulants work

Several years ago, the concept of biostimulant has been used in agriculture as a fertiliser that could improve the plant’s assimilation of the nutrients it contains.

what is a biostimulant?

The definition of biostimulant according to the European regulation is: “A plant biostimulant is any substance or micro-organism, in the form in which it is supplied to the user, applied to plants, seeds or the root environment, with the intention of stimulating biological processes that benefit plant nutrition independently of their nutrient content and resulting in increased tolerance to abiotic stress, increased crop yield and/or improved crop quality, or any combination of such substances and/or micro-organisms”.

Physiological biostimulants at Econatur

Since our beginnings, at Econatur we have defined a much broader concept of biostimulation. The Econatur range of physiologicalbiostimulants is made up of biotechnological products of natural origin, indicated to maximise the physiological activity of the plant, with the aim of achieving the maximum nutritional use of all the nutrients available and the greatest productive efficiency in the time available to the plant, in each phenological phase.

Stronger and more vigorous plants are achieved, which respond better to the fundamental processes of plant physiology, enhancing photosynthesis, respiration and nutrient assimilation, making the most of the photoperiod and minimising stress levels. These products allow plants to perform much better thanks to the fact that they minimise energy consumption in the nutritional processes, making them more efficient and achieving a greater natural biochemical balance. Compared to traditional management techniques, biostimulation allows for a reduction in the use of agricultural inputs and, therefore, a reduction in costs.

At the physiological level, biostimulation allows for many improvements

Biostimulation at the physiological level allows:

1. To correct the physiological imbalance, generated in most of the cultivated plants, caused by traditional management.
2. To reduce the productive stress to which the plant is subjected in the productive cycle due to excess chemical mineral nutrition and phytosanitary control.
3. Reducing climatic stress by improving the autoimmune capacity of the plant and reducing the need for phytosanitary control.
4. Lowering the plant’s energy consumption for the development of vital functions, improving the absorption and translocation of nutrients and their utilisation.
5. Increase the productive efficiency of the plant and its ability to complete the cycle.

The use of physiological biostimulates coupled to traditional crop management allows for a highly competitive improvement in the security of achieving an excellent harvest in terms of agronomic profitability but also in terms of fruit quality (nutritional and organoleptic capacity and post-harvest stability). In addition, these new tools make it possible to optimise the contribution of basic nutrition in a very considerable way, as well as optimising phytosanitary control.

Range of physiological biostimulants for farmers

Econatur offers growers the widest and most efficient range of physiological biostimulation products on the market. Guaranteed products that meet the farmer’s best expectations. With this range, all crops and all phenological phasesare covered to successfully overcome the objective in each one of them.

what is an agricultural biostimulant?

Agricultural biostimulants are micro-organisms or substances that articulate physiological and biochemical processes in plants. They act through different mechanisms than fertilisers and plant protection products. Biostimulants are complementary to crop nutrition and protection.

Agricultural biostimulant products are applied to maximise the genetic potential of the plant, causing changes in hormonal status, activating metabolic processes, improving nutritional efficiency, stimulating development and improving the response to abiotic stress.

when to apply biostimulants?

They can be applied by foliar application or in the irrigation system. Applications should be made early in the day or in the evening to facilitate foliar absorption, and application rates vary according to the product, crop, damage or environment.

how are biostimulants classified?

Biostimulants are classified as follows:

• Humic and fulvic acids. Humic substances are natural constituents of soil organic matter, resulting from the decomposition of plants, animals and micro-organisms, but also from the metabolic activity of soil micro-organisms that use these compounds as a substrate.
• Amino acids and peptide mixtures. These are obtained by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins from agro-industrial plant and animal products.
• Algae and plant extracts. The use of algae as a source of organic matter and fertiliser is very old in agriculture, but the biostimulant effect has only recently been detected.
• Chitosans and other biopolymers. Chitosan is the deacetylated form of the naturally or industrially produced biopolymer chitin. Polymers/oligomers of various sizes are commonly used in cosmetics, medicine, food and agriculture.
• Inorganic compounds. Chemical elements that promote plant growth and may be essential for some but not all species are often referred to as “beneficial elements”.
• Beneficial fungi. Fungi interact with plants in many ways, from mutualistic symbiosis to parasitism. There is growing interest in the use of mycorrhizal fungi to promote sustainable agriculture.