Improving crop yield and produce quality using biostimulants

The 2030 agenda for sustainable development and, more recently, the open consultation on the strategic agenda of the European research and innovation partnership “Agriculture of Data” are urging the transition toward more sustainable models of agricultural production. The severe environmental impact of the green revolution precludes the choice of agricultural intensification, with high land and inputs used in concentrated spaces, as the key route to meet the growing food demand. Therefore research should be reoriented toward agricultural systems that can achieve sustainable productivity while decreasing environmental impact. Furthermore, despite the concern that nonintensive food production may not meet the growing global food needs, jeopardizing food security, there is a growing and profitable market share for high-quality vegetable products. In fact, in developed and developing countries, the increase in per capita income and well-being, at least for some segments of the population, is arousing unprecedented consumer interest in biofortified vegetables with a high nutritional content and functional quality. A promising strategy that could facilitate the transition from input-intensive agriculture to a sustainable production approach and/or improve the functional quality of plant products proposes the integrated use of plant biostimulants (PBs) in cropping systems. Biostimulants can modify plants’ physiological (endogenous) processes, enhancing their resource use efficiency, yield, and nutritional quality, even and above all in suboptimal conditions. Therefore their use could empower farmers with enhanced and innovative management practices, allowing them to be productive and competitive while coping with new and tougher environmental constraints. This chapter will provide an overview of the beneficial effects of PBs on crop yield and produce quality, explaining the potential mechanisms behind their mode of action.