In the face of climate change, agricultural and horticultural systems are encountering challenges related to resource availability, agrochemical restrictions, and production costs. The use of biostimulants as plant strengtheners and green biotechnological strategies offers potential solutions. However, there are limitations to their field application, making it crucial to bridge the gap between lab research and practical implementation. Meanwhile, the need for safe and environmentally friendly practices to ensure sustainable food production in challenging climates is growing. This Research Topic aims to explore the field application of biostimulants and novel biotechnological approaches for enhancing crop productivity and stress tolerance. We invite authors to submit research papers on the application of biostimulants in cropping systems under field conditions, including arable and permanent crops. Papers may focus on the physiological processes involved in plant growth promotion, exploitation of synergisms, or new approaches to improving biostimulant performance, but they must include empirical data on crop growth and yield under field conditions. Descriptive studies that report responses of growth, yield, or quality to agronomical treatments will not be considered if they do not also progress physiological understanding of these responses. We also explicitly encourage the submission of manuscripts that present unsuccessful applications of biostimulants and offer explanations for the absence of the desired effects. Works revisiting already investigated mechanisms but providing novel findings on the underpinning molecular mechanisms, key functional molecules or genes, etc. could also be accepted upon providing a clear statement on the actual novelty. Informal inquiries of the suitability of the potential manuscripts to any of the Research Topic co-editors are welcome.
In the face of climate change, agricultural and horticultural systems are encountering challenges related to resource availability, agrochemical restrictions, and production costs. The use of biostimulants as plant strengtheners and green biotechnological strategies offers potential solutions. However, there are limitations to their field application, making it crucial to bridge the gap between lab research and practical implementation. Meanwhile, the need for safe and environmentally friendly practices to ensure sustainable food production in challenging climates is growing. This Research Topic aims to explore the field application of biostimulants and novel biotechnological approaches for enhancing crop productivity and stress tolerance. We invite authors to submit research papers on the application of biostimulants in cropping systems under field conditions, including arable and permanent crops. Papers may focus on the physiological processes involved in plant growth promotion, exploitation of synergisms, or new approaches to improving biostimulant performance, but they must include empirical data on crop growth and yield under field conditions. Descriptive studies that report responses of growth, yield, or quality to agronomical treatments will not be considered if they do not also progress physiological understanding of these responses. We also explicitly encourage the submission of manuscripts that present unsuccessful applications of biostimulants and offer explanations for the absence of the desired effects. Works revisiting already investigated mechanisms but providing novel findings on the underpinning molecular mechanisms, key functional molecules or genes, etc. could also be accepted upon providing a clear statement on the actual novelty. Informal inquiries of the suitability of the potential manuscripts to any of the Research Topic co-editors are welcome.