Biostimulants: Transforming Soil Health Through Plant-soil Interactions

Agricultural production is largely dependent on continuously changing environmental and climatic conditions, such as salinity, drought, and extreme temperatures, which severely impact crop production. In addition, global urbanisation due to a continuously increasing global population puts additional pressure on agricultural systems by limiting the availability of cultivable land. To meet the ever-escalating needs of the growing human population, producers are mainly reliant on the excessive use of inorganic, chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop productivity. This approach possesses both short- and long-term threats to ecosystem health. Therefore, a sustainable strategy is required to reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.Biostimulants are a category of natural products that can play a number of crucial roles in modern agriculture and horticulture by enhancing plant growth and development through various mechanisms. They are shown to improve nutrient uptake, enhance stress tolerance, promote root and shoot growth, and increase overall plant vigor, leading to healthier and more productive plants. Recently, the foliar application of some biostimulants (seaweed extracts - phycobiostimulants) was shown to modulate soil microbial diversity and microbial functions and thus regulate nutrient availability in the soil. Thus, the use of biostimulants represents a holistic, sustainable, and efficient approach to boosting agricultural productivity and resilience.In this Research Topic, we aim to incorporate contributions from leading crop scientists focused on developing the latest sustainable strategies in order to improve soil health through plant-soil interactions. These new agronomic strategies may include the development of extracts of specific seaweeds, as well as microbial and plant-based agricultural inputs, in combinations to improve plant growth, nutrient-use efficiency, and yield by improving plant-soil interactions. Additionally, we also welcome manuscripts that help the scientific community in deciphering the various modes of action of these varied biostimulants for improving soil health.This Research Topic covers the following areas, either as reviews, perspectives, original research articles, and short communications, including (but not limited to):1. Seaweeds, microbes, and plant-based biostimulants for improving growth and yield in crops2. Biostimulants for improving soil health through plant-soil interactions3. Development of next-generation biostimulants for improved plant-soil interactions.4. Understanding the various modes of action of these biostimulants for improving soil health and related physiological interactions. Topic editors: Pushp Sheel Shukla, Nivetha Nagarajan, Alan T Critchley, Harsha S G Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78233/biostimulants-transforming-soil-health-through-plant-soil-interactions