Biostimulant

24 past 12.

A leading plant researcher believes more research needs to be done on biostimulants because if regulated properly, they could be very beneficial to Australia's fruit and vegetable growers.

Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied to plants, seeds or soil, can enhance plant growth and boost tolerance to environmental stress.

But Patrick Brown is a professor of plant sciences at the University of California, Davis, and he's worried some biostimulant products currently being sold in Australia might not be all they've cracked up to be.

So biostimulants are a whole range of products extracted from biological source materials that are used on plants to help tolerate stress and improve the way that they take nutrients from the soil.

Is this an area where there's been a lot of work done in science to prove what stimulants are doing what? Or is this where a lot of the work's being done right now?

This industry has grown organically and the science has been left behind.

How would you either regulate or change the system so we get a greater understanding in this area?