Biostimulants for plant growth and mitigation of abiotic stresses: A metabolomics perspective

Lerato Nephali, Lizelle A. Piater, Ian A. Dubery, Veronica Patterson, Johan Huyser, Karl Burgess, Fidele Tugizimana

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

137 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Adverse environmental conditions due to climate change, combined with declining soil fertility, threaten food security. Modern agriculture is facing a pressing situation where novel strategies must be developed for sustainable food production and security. Biostimulants, conceptually defined as non-nutrient substances or microorganisms with the ability to promote plant growth and health, represent the potential to provide sustainable and economically favorable solutions that could introduce novel approaches to improve agricultural practices and crop productivity. Current knowledge and phenotypic observations suggest that biostimulants potentially function in regulating and modifying physiological processes in plants to promote growth, alleviate stresses, and improve quality and yield. However, to successfully develop novel biostimulant-based formulations and programs, understanding biostimulant-plant interactions, at molecular, cellular and physiological levels, is a prerequisite. Metabolomics, a multidisciplinary omics science, offers unique opportunities to predictively decode the mode of action of biostimulants on crop plants, and identify signatory markers of biostimulant action. Thus, this review intends to highlight the current scientific efforts and knowledge gaps in biostimulant research and industry, in context of plant growth promotion and stress responses. The review firstly revisits models that have been elucidated to describe the molecular machinery employed by plants in coping with environmental stresses. Furthermore, current definitions, claims and applications of plant biostimulants are pointed out, also indicating the lack of biological basis to accurately postulate the mechanisms of action of plant biostimulants. The review articulates briefly key aspects in the metabolomics workflow and the (potential) applications of this multidisciplinary omics science in the biostimulant industry.

Original languageEnglish
Article number505
Pages (from-to)1-26
Number of pages26
JournalMetabolites
Volume10
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2020

Keywords

  • Abiotic stresses
  • Biostimulants
  • Food security
  • Growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)
  • Metabolomics
  • Plant defenses

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

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