biostimulants
Biostimulants are substances or microbial cultures applied to plants or soil to enhance growth, stress tolerance, and nutrient uptake without functioning as conventional fertilizers or pesticides. They work by leveraging the plant's natural relationships with its surrounding ecosystem—including beneficial microorganisms and signaling compounds—to improve physiological performance. Research into biostimulants is advancing sustainable agriculture by offering alternatives to synthetic inputs while deepening understanding of how plants respond to their biological environment.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-01
Scientists studied the soil microbes living around the roots of wild lavender in Morocco and found that the microbial community changes dramatically as the plant grows, with the most activity during flowering and end-of-life stages. This knowledge could help develop natural soil boosters to grow plants more successfully in dry, harsh environments.
Total microbial biomass in the root zone peaked at plant senescence (end-of-life), driven by Gram-negative bacteria reaching 25.02 μg/g and Gram-positive bacteria reaching 18.11 μg/g.
Beneficial root-partnering fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, dominated by the genus Glomus) and saprotrophic fungi both peaked during the flowering stage, reaching 4.16 μg/g and 8.81 μg/g respectively.
Senescence produced the most complex microbial interaction networks and the greatest ecological diversity, suggesting the dying plant phase actively reshapes soil biology.
