Brown algal extracts increase crop yield by stimulating growth and enhancing resistance to environmental stress, making them a sustainable and effective biostimulant for modern agriculture. Population growth, climate change, and intensive agrochemical use pose significant challenges to environmental sustainability and food security. Seaweeds, particularly brown algae, have attracted considerable attention as promising biostimulants for sustainable agricultural applications. Brown algae, the second most prevalent group of marine macroalgae, are rich in polysaccharides (alginates, fucoidans, and laminarins), vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols, which contribute to their biostimulant properties. Previous studies have provided important insights into the mechanisms of action of seaweed extracts and the physiological and biochemical changes they induce in crop plants. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of seaweed biostimulants remain incompletely understood, recent research efforts have substantially advanced our understanding of their functional roles. This review discusses conventional and advanced extraction techniques used to obtain bioactive compounds from seaweeds. In addition, it examines the composition of brown algae and their roles in promoting plant growth, development, and stress tolerance in various crop species. Furthermore, this review highlights the molecular mechanisms underlying growth promotion, biotic stress resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance in brown algae-treated plants, along with key findings from recent metabolomics studies. The use of brown algal extracts or their components influences crop plants by enhancing nutrient uptake, regulating phytohormone signalling, boosting antioxidant defence, facilitating osmotic adjustment, and stimulating stress-responsive genes and pathways. Collectively, these properties highlight the potential of brown algae-derived biostimulants to support sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for synthetic agrochemicals while increasing food security amid growing environmental challenges.
The growing pressure exerted by global food demand, combined with the excessive use of chemical and synthetic inputs, is prompting the agricultural sector to seek innovative and sustainable solutions to improve, or at least maintain, crop yields in a context of increased abiotic stress linked to climate change. Among the promising approaches, biostimulants are attracting growing interest, particularly those derived from natural sources such as seaweed extracts, humic acids, and beneficial microorganisms. These products work through various mechanisms, including osmotic regulation, activation of antioxidant systems, stimulation of root growth, and improvement of nutrient absorption. Many recent research and review articles have explored the optimal combinations of raw materials, formulation processes, target crops, and environmental conditions to maximize beneficial effects on plant growth, soil health, and tolerance to abiotic stresses. As a result, a growing range of commercial products is emerging, with diverse chemical compositions, formulations, and modes of application. However, the precise relationships between the biochemical composition of biostimulants and their physiological effects remain poorly understood, suggesting a key role for molecular synergies. This review provides a concise overview of recent advances in biostimulant research and their potential to enhance food security by improving crop resilience in the context of climate change.
Boujemaa Fassih, Raja Ben-Laouane, Abdessamad Fakhech et al.· Sustainability· 1 citation
The need for the most up-to-date, environmentally friendly techniques of controlling plant diseases and pests necessitates keeping an eye out for effective tools that provide a safe environment for human and animal fitness. In recent years, the usage of plant biostimulants (BS), which are derived from various organic materials through hydrolysis reactions, has increased. Soil microbes and plants immediately absorb these Biostimulants, which often consist of peptides, amino acids, polysaccharides, humic acids and phytohormones with less energy requirement. This benefits not only growth but also the yield and quality of the harvested grain or fruit. These items are intended to promote and increase plant metabolism, reduce stress, etc., rather than to supply nutrients. These days, a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses hinder plant development, seed germination and seedling growth due to shifting climatic conditions, which reduces biological and economic yields. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) helps plant in mitigating different abiotic stresses and also enhances the adaptability of plants in stress conditions. A variety of PGRs, including ethylene (ET), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonates (JAs), are linked to improving plants' ability to respond to various stimuli. On the other hand, under both normal and stressful environmental conditions, PGRs like auxin, cytokinins (CKs), gibberellins (GAs) and relatively novel PGRs like strigolactones (SLs) and brassinosteroids (BRs) are engaged in plant growth and development. These PGRs are crucial for regulating stress adaptation through modulates physiological, biochemical and molecular processes and activation of the defense system, upregulating of transcript levels, transcription factors, metabolism genes, and stress proteins at cellular levels.
Dr. Hena Parveen, Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. Shweta kumari et al.· Genetics and Molecular Resea...· 0 citations
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging pollutants in agricultural ecosystems, accumulating in soils and adversely affecting plant growth and crop yields. Although their toxicity is increasingly reported, the role of stress mitigators in reducing MNPs-induced toxicity in soil-plant systems remains insufficiently summarized. This review evaluates current research on mitigation strategies, including nanoparticles, phytohormones, biochar, chemicals, nutrients, plant growth-promoting bacteria and rhizobacteria, fungi, and signaling molecules. Evidence shows that these mitigators can reduce MNPs-induced stress by improving rhizosphere microbial communities, increasing plant growth and photosynthetic efficiency, and regulating biochemical, transcriptomic, and metabolomic responses. In addition, important tolerance pathways and mechanisms influenced by these mitigators are also discussed. The review highlights major knowledge gaps in existing studies and proposes future research directions. Overall, it provides a concise framework to guide the development of effective mitigation approaches to address MNPs contamination and improve sustainable crop production under emerging environmental stress conditions.
Wardah Azhar, Ali Raza Khan, Abdul Salam et al.· Journal of Agricultural and...· 0 citations
The Rosaceae family includes some of the most economically important fruit and nut crops worldwide, such as apples, strawberries, and almonds. Increasing market demand and climate constraints have intensified reliance on synthetic fertilizers, leading to environmental degradation and reduced ecosystem resilience. In response, sustainable alternatives, such as organic fertilizers, biofertilizers, and biostimulants, have gained increasing attention. Here, we review recent findings in the application of these ecofriendly inputs in Rosaceae crops, using almonds (Prunus dulcis) as a representative case study. We highlight the roles of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in improving nutrient availability, stress tolerance, soil fertility, and crop productivity through mechanisms including biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, phytohormone modulation, and enhanced plant defense responses. Evidence from field, greenhouse, and controlled experimental studies has indicated that rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, as well as organic fertilizers, enhance nutrient uptake, photosynthetic efficiency, fruit yields, and quality while supporting soil biodiversity and long-term orchard sustainability. Despite their demonstrated benefits, the adoption of biofertilizers and biostimulants in almond orchards remains limited. This review discusses the current challenges, knowledge gaps, and future perspectives for integrating microbial-based solutions into sustainable Rosaceae cultivation systems.
Z. Bouabidi, A. Saber, Najat Manaut et al.· Sustainability· 0 citations
The increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural practices has accelerated the search for alternatives to chemical fertilizers. Microbial biofertilizers, particularly plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), offer a promising strategy to enhance crop productivity while maintaining soil health. Among these, Bacillus species have gained significant attention due to their ecological versatility and functional diversity. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the biofertilization potential of Bacillus spp. in sustainable agriculture. Prominent species such as Bacillus subtilis, B. megaterium, and B. amyloliquefaciens contribute to improved nutrient acquisition through nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and potassium mobilization. In addition, Bacillus spp. produce phytohormones, siderophores, and volatile organic compounds that stimulate plant growth and enhance tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Their endospore-forming ability ensures high survival, prolonged shelf life, and reliable performance under diverse field conditions, supporting their commercial application as biofertilizers. This review also discusses interactions between Bacillus spp. and native soil microbiota, their influence on rhizosphere dynamics, and their role in improving soil fertility and crop productivity. However, inconsistent field performance, formulation challenges, and regulatory constraints remain key barriers to large-scale adoption. Recent advances in genomics, strain improvement, and formulation technologies present new opportunities to enhance the efficacy of Bacillus-based biofertilizers. Integrative approaches combining microbiology, agronomy, and policy frameworks are essential to realize their full potential in sustainable agricultural systems and global food security.
Soumendranath Chatterjee, Dibyendu Saha, Souvik Bag et al.· Discover Plants· 0 citations
Modern agricultural practices have boosted crop yields but have also intensified pressure on the food system, along with environmental and health issues linked to overreliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, pesticide resistance, pollution, and human health hazards are the serious negative consequences imposed due to intensive agricultural practices, necessitating the shift towards biological agents to boost productivity and safeguard environmental and human health. Beneficial organisms, especially Trichoderma species, have emerged as effective beneficial fungi due to their versatile roles in sustainable agriculture for disease suppression through mycoparasitism, competition, production of secondary metabolites, and entomopathogenesis. In addition to pathogen suppression, Trichoderma spp. induce defence mechanisms in plants, produce growth hormones, mobilize unavailable nutrients, and increase nutrient uptake, making plants tolerant to biotic and abiotic stress and facilitating the bioremediation of toxic soil. However, problems related to strain specificity, field performance, environmental conditions and shelf-life stability limit its widespread adoption. Future studies should focus on producing stress-tolorent and highly efficient strains, Trichoderma strains that can tolerate broader environmental conditions, exploring synergetic effects with other beneficial micro-organisms, and application methods. Overall, this review presents the versatile function of Trichoderma spp. in increasing crop yield and preventing negative consequences on environmental and human health, and also highlights challenges and the need for advance future studies.
Sujata Nepal, Surakshya Sharma, Niraj Mahato· Journal of Soil, Plant and E...· 0 citations