Instant Insights: Biostimulant applications in agriculture
About this ebook
The first chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the optimal design and formulation of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants. The chapter presents two case studies to demonstrate the successful commercialisation of microbial and non-microbial biostimulant products.
The second chapter considers the utilisation of humic substances (HS) as plant biostimulants in agriculture and their impact on the physical and chemical properties of soil. The chapter also discusses the production of HS.
The third chapter reviews the wealth of research on the mechanism of action, applications and efficacy of key biostimulants such as Bacillus species, Pseudomonas species, Trichoderma species and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
The fourth chapter assesses recent advances in the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a means of enhancing crop root function and nutrient use. The chapter also considers the challenge of practical adoption and use of PGPR in commercial agricultural settings.
The final chapter reviews the utilisation of biostimulants as an integrated pest management tool in horticulture. The chapter considers their role in promoting plant growth, building soil structure, as well as pest and disease suppression.
About the author
Youssef Rouphael is an Associate Professor at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He is Editor-in-Chief of Agronomy MDPI and has been a guest editor on biostimulants in several International Journals (Scientia Horticulturae, Frontiers in Plant Science and Agronomy MDPI). He is a member of the scientific committee of Biostimulant.com. He is internationally-known for his research in horticultural science.
Giuseppe Colla is Professor of Vegetable Production, Floriculture and Greenhouse Crop Management at the University of Tuscia, Italy. A member of the editorial boards of several leading journals in horticultural science, Professor Colla has an international reputation for his work on plant nutrition and plant biostimulants. He has coordinated many projects to improve horticultural production.
Surendra Dara is the Entomology and Biologicals Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension. He has nearly 25 years of experience in IPM and microbial control, working on 17 species of invasive pests and diseases and several endemic species throughout his career. He has authored/co-authored more than 390 scientific and extension articles, which include three co-edited books, four co-edited special issues of journals, 19 book chapters, and 50 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is currently serving on various committees or holding offices at the University of California, Entomological Society of America, and the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists. He publishes two eJournals and is a Subject Editor for the Journal of Economic Entomology.
