The use of stimulants in fruit and floral crops helps improve their performance, they are ideal for application in periods of stress of the plant such as: salinity, cold, extreme temperature conditions or drought, since when implementing these products it is protecting the crop, improving the fertility of the soil and increasing the optimal conditions for it to develop and have an increase in its fruits or blooms.

Currently there are various microorganisms and substances used as biostimulants, the best known are:

• Humic and fulvic acids

Humic substances (SH) are the natural constituents of soil organic matter, resulting from the decomposition of plants, animals and microorganisms. The SH are a heterogeneous group of compounds of different molecular weight and solubility grouped in humins, humic acids and fulvic acids.

The biostimulant effects derived from the use of these substances are variable since they depend on the source of the SH, the environmental conditions of the decomposition, the crop to which they are contributed and the way of application. Since always, its effect has been established as soil fertility enhancers, acting on its physical and / or chemical and biological properties.

• Hydrolysates of proteins and other nitrogenous compounds

Amino acids or peptide compounds are obtained by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis of plant residues (plant origin) or animal waste (animal origin).

These compounds have been observed to play an important role as biostimulants in modulating the absorption and assimilation of nitrogen, regulating enzymes involved. Among the products Biostimulants with amino acids is the Biotech range: iQ Forte, Iq 10, Iq Forte Sugar; which is characterized by providing crops with the nutrients necessary to optimize their performance, made up of amino acids that allow to fortify plants, vegetables or fruits and their reproductive processes.

The chelating effect of some amino acids such as proline, or the antioxidant activity of some nitrogen compounds contribute to improve the mobility of some micronutrients and reduce damage from environmental stresses. In addition, these products increase microbial biomass, soil respiration and fertility.

• Seaweed extracts

The use of marine algae as a source of organic matter and as fertilizers has been done for decades. However, its use as a biostimulant is recent. The purified extracts of algae contain polysaccharides, alginates or caraganates, macronutrients and micronutrients, sterols, nitrogen compounds such as betaine and hormones.

The algae act on the soil contributing to the capacity of water retention and the aeration of it, facilitating the ion exchange or fixing heavy metals. In addition, they promote the development of the bacterial microflora of the soil.

• Inorganic compounds

The chemical elements that promote the growth of plants and may be essential for some particular species, but are not required by all plants, are called beneficial elements. The five main beneficial elements are: aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), sodium (Na), selenium (Se) and silicon (Si), and are present in soils and plants in the form of different inorganic salts and as insoluble forms like silica.

Among the beneficial effects, its function as a constituent is described, strengthening cell walls by silica deposits, as tolerance enhancers in defined environmental conditions, such as the attack of pathogens by selenium and osmotic stress by sodium.

After knowing them, which biostimulant would you use to strengthen your crops?