Sustainable Agriculture: The Role of Biostimulants in Enhancing Crop Growth and Resilience

Global population growth, climate change, and soil erosion threaten food security and agricultural production. Traditional farming methods using synthetic fertilisers and pesticides have worsened environmental issues, requiring sustainable solutions. Biostimulants such microbial inoculants, humic compounds, seaweed extracts, protein hydrolysates, and chitosan improve crop yield, soil health. By activating plant processes, these biologically generated compounds improve nutrient uptake, root development, and stress tolerance. Azospirillum, Rhizobium, and Bacillus biostimulants fix nitrogen and solubilize phosphorus, whereas seaweed extracts and protein hydrolysates modulate hormone activity and photosynthesis. Humic compounds modulate gene expression and activate antioxidant pathways to improve soil fertility and stress tolerance. Current biostimulant research, mechanisms of action, and sustainable agricultural potential are summarised in this study. Despite promising results, further research is needed to optimize biostimulant formulations, asses their long-term effects, and large-scale adoption in different agroecosystems. Keywords: Biostimulants, agriculture, sustainability, microbial, fertility, soil, seaweeds, hormones.