Biostimulants: Concept, Types and Way to Enhance Soil Health

Soil has immense capacity to function as a vital living ecosystem that not only support plants and animals but also acknowledges survival of people, as a result there has been renewed interest in soil health but due to the environmental repercussions of poor management, such as soil erosion and nutrient contamination, the health of soil is deteriorating with an increasing rate. Application of biostimulants can prove to be a prominent tool for enhancing soil health. Biostimulants are compounds, microorganisms or other materials that are capable of stimulating nutrition processes in plants or in their growth environments. Regardless of their nutritional content they increase the plant's nutrient use efficiency, partial factor productivity, tolerance to abiotic stress and quality of the crop. Many types of biostimulants have been differentiated by their administration technique either soil or foliar, or may be plant or animal derivatives, or by the distinctive procedure involved for their derivation that may be hydrolysis, fermentation or acid/alkali extraction. Stimulants of biological origin that are soil applied can promote the establishment, proliferation of beneficial soil organisms that furnish substrates for plant growth. Biostimulants enhance soil health (physical, chemical, biological properties) by targeting certain major prospects such as enhanced buffering capacity of soil, enhanced stability of aggregates and specific surface area. The use of environmentally friendly natural preparations is especially significant in light of the ongoing processes of soil degradation and air pollution. Enzymes, Protein hydrolysates, and Sea Weed Extracts, Humic substances, Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria and Phosphorus Solubilising Bacteria, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria briefly comes under the umbrella of biostimulants. These biostimulants can be extracted from various methods such as alkali hydrolysis, partial hydrolysis, pressurised liquid extraction,etc. Even while a biostimulants may not have a short-term effect, it has the potential to improve soil health with progression, ensuing higher yields in the succeeding years.