Pollen Energy
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In modern agriculture, the pesticides and fertilizers play a crucial role to increase crop yield.
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Plant biostimulants (PBs) are substances, in minute quantities applied to plant, seeds or growing environments, capable of improving crop productivity and quality, ameliorating nutrient efficiency, and enhancing the tolerance against kinds of environmental stresses.
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Initially, PBs are discriminated from biopesticides for their distinct targets, and from fertilizers and soil amendments for application dosage. For decade development, the definition of PBs has been modified many times.
Development of Biostimulants Definition
Mannino, 2022
Regulation (EU) 2019/
1009 Fertilizing Product, 2019
Yakhin, 2017
Du Jardin, 2015
EBIC, 2012
Designed as commercial formulations, the PBs are extended to products containing single or mixtures of such substances.
The product that simulates plant nutrition and growth processes independently of the product’s nutritional content with the sole aim of improving one or more of the following characteristics of the plant or the plant rhizosphere: (1) Nutrient use efficiency; (2) Tolerance to abiotic stress; (3) Quality traits; (4) Availability of confined nutrients in soil or rhizosphere.
A formulated product of biological origin that improves plant productivity as a consequence of the novel or emergent properties of the complex of constituents, and not as a sole consequence of the presence of known essential plant nutrients, plant growth regulators, or plant protective compounds.
A plant biostimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrient content.
Containing substance(s) and/or micro-organisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to stimulate natural processes to enhance/benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, and crop quality. Biostimulants have no direct action against pests, and therefore do not fall within the regulatory framework of pesticides.
Development of Biostimulants Classification
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Plant extracts
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Biopolymers
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Beneficial microbials
2015
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Humic substances
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Complex organic materials
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Beneficial chemical elements
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Inorganic salts
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Seaweed extracts
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Chitin and chitosan derivatives
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Free amino acids
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Other N-containing substances
2012
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Commercial formulations containing single or mixtures of PBs
2022
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Bacterial metabolism-derived compounds
2019
Several Common Biostimulants
Plant Extracts-Derived
Plant extracts-derived biostimulants are obtained from some terrestrial plants, which show high content of antioxidants and protective substances, as well as osmoprotectants, such as proline, mannitol, and sugars. The vegetal protein hydrolysates enhance carbon and nitrogen metabolism, nutrient availability and uptake, and nutrient use efficiency. For the same source, the effective components of plant-derived biostimulants could be quickly and easily absorbed via foliar application or in growth substrate. Faced to the increasingly serious problem of marine pollution, plant-derived PBs will becoming an important method to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture.
Seaweeds
Seaweeds are brown, green, and red macroalgae, available on the biostimulant market as powder, granular form and as liquid extracts and may be applied as foliar sprays or side-dressed near the root. The major components are polysaccharides, phenolics, vitamins precursors, mannitol, phytohormones, and hormone-like compounds, which could regulate crop growth, improve WUE, and stress resistance.
Microbial-based biostimulants such as PGPR of strains belonging to the genera Azospirillum, Azotobacter, and Rhizobium spp. as well as mycorrhizal fungi are highly considered as promising means not only to secure yield stability under low-input conditions (i.e., N and/or P deficiency) but also as a tool to solving some environmental constraints.
Microbial-based
Humic substances such as humic and fulvic acids are natural organic molecules originating from the biological and chemical transformations of dead organic matter. Generally, HA and FA are applied into soil to supply nutrition and organic matter, as well as to restore soil structure.
Humic Substances
Now the Global market size of biostimulants is about $2.638 billion. In 2026, the market is expected to exceed $5.04 billion.
From 2021 to 2026, the CAGR is expected to be 11.71%.
Latin America and Other
United States
22%
23%
37%
18%
Europe
Asia Pacific
Global Market of Biostimulants
Europe
Europe is the origin place of biostimulants. The EU market is about $1.1 billion in 2022. According to EBIC statistics, there are nearly 200 enterprises, with R&D investment accounting for 3-10% of their revenues. The New EU Fertilizer Product Regulation (EU)2019/1009 has come into force since July, 2022.
United States
In 2016, the US market size was $425 million. In 2023, the market size will be about $646 million. The CAGR is 12.5%. The main products in US, including microbial products and a mixture of biostimulants, attain 40% market share, followed by humic acid and fulvic acid about 14%, as well as others such as seaweed and plant extracts, amino acids, and protein hydrolysates.
Asia Pacific
In 2018, the Asia Pacific market size was $425 million. In 2022, the market size was $691 million. China is the biggest market in Asia about $152 million size with CAGR 10.44%. India is the second market in this region about $101 million size with CAGR 13.25%. Based on Dunham Trimmer’s prediction, the Asia Pacific region will become the biggest biostimulant market in the world by 2025.
Latin America
In 2018, the Latin America market size was $312 million. In 2023, the market size will be $522 million. Brazil is the biggest market in this region. In 2021, the Brazil biositmulant market was about $182 million with CAGR 12.2%. Besides traditional fruits and vegetables, it’s more and more biostimulants applicated in field crops in Brazil. Mexico is the second market in Latin America with $104 million market share and CAGR 10.43%. In other developing region, including Peru, Central America, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, and Argentina the CAGR is about 15%.
Middle East And North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa region, due to their special climate conditions, is also the early region to use biostimulants. In 2021, the market size in this region was $232 million, with CAGR 9.76%. For the maturity of market, the growth rate is slower in this region.
South Africa
The region of both South Africa and most of Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world, with CAGR about 15%. However, the sales volume of biostimulants in this region is small, about $141 million in 2021.