Biostimulants: A sufficiently effective tool for sustainable agriculture in the era of climate change?

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry Vol. 211; p. 108699
• Main Authors: Zulfiqar, Faisal, Moosa, Anam, Ali, Hayssam M., Bermejo, Núria F., Munné-Bosch, Sergi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.06.2024
• Subjects: agricultural industry; Agriculture; Agriculture - methods; Biostimulants; Climate Change; Crop management; crop yield; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Crops, Agricultural - metabolism; drought; gene expression; Global crisis; metabolism; oxidative stress; Plant Growth Regulators - metabolism; plant hormones; plant physiology; politics; salinity; Sustainability; sustainable agriculture; Agriculture; Global crisis; Crop management; Sustainability; Biostimulants
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108699

Climate change is currently considered as one of the main concerns of the agriculture sector, as it limits crop production and quality. Furthermore, the current context of global crisis with international political instability and war conflicts over the world is pushing the agriculture sector even more to urgently boost productivity and yield and doing so in a sustainable way in the current frame of climate change. Biostimulants can be an effective tool in alleviating the negative effects of environmental stresses to which plants are exposed, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals and extreme temperatures etc. Biostimulants act through multiple mechanisms, modifying gene expression, metabolism and phytohormone production, promoting the accumulation of compatible solutes and antioxidants and mitigating oxidative stress. However, it is important to keep in mind that the use and effect of biostimulants has limitations and must be accompanied by other techniques to ensure crop yield and quality in the current frame of climate change, such as proper crop management and the use of other sustainable resources. Here, we will not only highlight the potential use of biostimulants to face future agricultural challenges, but also take a critical look at their limitations, underlining the importance of a broad vision of sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change. •Biostimulants are biobased solutions to tackle modern agriculture problems.•For tackling climate change issue, biostimulants are not enough.•Stopping wars and conflicts is the main solution to save environment and agriculture.