New Paper! Effects of macroalgae derived biostimulants in strawberry

This paper examines how an algae derived bioenhancer changes plant growth through changing soil composition.

Bioenhancers or biostimulants are an increasingly large market of agricultural supplements which are used to convey benefits to producers. They are marketed for their ability to support growth of bigger, higher yielding, healthier and more resistance plants. This study investigated how one bioenhancer, which is manufactured as a by-product of carbon capture reactors, could change strawberry growth. In the study we found that at a 2X dilution (50 % bioenhancer, 50 % water) plants grew bigger (more vegetative growth), but produced fewer fruits (reduced reproductive growth). To understand why we looked at the available nutrient levels and soil microbiome community composition. We found that soils from pots with plants treated with the 2X bioenhancer has less diversity in the microbes present, with a few species which are adapted to nutrient cycling becoming more common than control treatments. This is associated with a significant increase in soil nitrogen levels. The results of the study suggest that the bioenhancer is shifting plant growth by increasing available nitrogen for plants, leading to larger, darker green plants, and that this might be due in part to changes in soil microorganisms that are present in the pots.

Read the full paper open access here: https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/cjps-2025-0170