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REVIEW article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Climate-Smart Food Systems
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1543981
This article is part of the Research Topic Enhancing Plant Resilience and Productivity Through Biostimulants and Advanced Biotechnological Approaches View all articles
Evaluating Wheat Response to Biostimulants: A 25-Year Review of Field-Based Research (2000-2024)
Provisionally accepted- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Campania, Italy
Wheat, a staple crop, faces numerous challenges due to climate change and the increasing demand for sustainable practices. Biostimulants, which enhance plant growth and resilience, have gained attention for their potential to improve wheat productivity in an environment-friendly manner. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of field-based research on wheat's response to biostimulants under field conditions from 2000 to 2024. Analyzing 222 studies, the bibliometric analysis reveals a significant rise in research publications on biostimulants, with an annual growth rate of 15.6%. Asia leads with the largest share of publications (59.4%), followed by Europe (18.1%) and Africa (11.6%). North America, South America and Oceania have fewer contributions. Additionally, research institutions in Pakistan, India and Egypt rank as the most productive on this topic. Saudi Arabia stands out with the highest percentage of international collaboration, at 91.7% between countries and 100% among institutions. The findings reveal that biostimulants significantly improve wheat's ability to withstand abiotic stress, optimize nutrient uptake, and enhance overall plant health. Research is transitioning from traditional organic methods and microbial inoculants to advanced biostimulant formulations, improved nutrient management, and reduced environmental impact. However, gaps remain, particularly in understanding the combined effects of multiple biostimulants and their long-term impact on wheat and soil health. This synthesis of research trends lays the groundwork for advancing sustainable wheat production, supporting food security and agricultural resilience amidst environmental challenges.
Keywords: biostimulants, wheat, bibliometric analysis, sustainable agriculture, Environmental stresses
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 10 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sellami, Di Mola and Mori. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ida Di Mola, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Campania, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.