ON MARCH 22, WE ONCE AGAIN COMMEMORATED WORLD WATER DAY, AND ON MARCH 26, WORLD CLIMATE DAY, TWO OBSERVANCES THAT, UNFORTUNATELY, SERVE AS REMINDERS OF JUST HOW URGENT IT IS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE-RELATED CHALLENGES IN TODAY’S CONTEXT.
It is essential to once again highlight the importance of efficient management in a clear scenario of climate change and resource scarcity. In the area we cover at MAFA, the formulation of biostimulants also responds to this need. That is why the functions of our products are aligned with the level of responsibility we must all embrace when it comes to protecting our water resources.
In this post, we explain how the proper application of agricultural biostimulants can help optimize water management, an increasingly critical priority, particularly in agriculture but also across all sectors.
Water-use efficiency is the cornerstone of the economic sustainability of any farming operation. Water connects soil, the microbiome, and the plant. This is precisely why integrating biological solutions has become especially necessary today, as it allows crops to maintain photosynthetic activity even under severe water stress conditions, optimizing every available drop.
The role of next-generation biostimulants
Biostimulants act at critical points within the plant-soil system, playing a key role in efficient water management.
How do biostimulants contribute to this?
STOMATA
They enhance the plant’s ability to regulate stomatal opening under water-deficit conditions. In practical terms, this allows plants to close their stomata more efficiently, reducing transpiration and limiting water loss.
TRANSPIRATION
Biostimulants help reduce excessive water loss without compromising the photosynthetic rate or leaf cooling. They also support the accumulation of substances such as proline and soluble sugars, preventing rapid dehydration and wilting.
ROOTS
By stimulating root hairs, they maximize the plant’s capacity to explore and absorb from the soil. For example, seaweed extracts promote root growth, increasing water and nutrient uptake and reducing dependence on surface moisture.
MICROBIOME
The use of beneficial microorganisms, through prebiotics and probiotics, enhances the formation of stable soil aggregates and the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS). These substances act like biological sponges, retaining water in the rhizosphere and making it available to the plant during stress periods.
OSMOLYTES
These molecules facilitate water retention at the cellular level, acting as a protective shield against dehydration and plasmolysis. In other words, biostimulants help prevent plant cells from losing water through osmosis, reducing dehydration and loss of turgor.
TURGOR
As a result, the use of biostimulants is essential during critical periods such as flowering and fruit filling to ensure proper turgor (i.e., optimal firmness and rigidity), thereby improving fruit size and preventing losses.
Main objective: reducing water stress
Biostimulation helps plants produce more biomass or yield with the same amount of water, or even less. Therefore, when combined with advanced irrigation technologies and sensors, the application of biostimulants can reduce irrigation volumes without sacrificing productivity or quality.
Reducing accumulated water stress is essential to ensure crop profitability. By minimizing the energy strain on plants, we achieve fruits with better structure, longer post-harvest life, and differentiated quality. In addition, this approach aligns with sustainability and zero-residue standards in modern agriculture, enabling crops to recover quickly after periods of water deficit.
