For farmers, there is almost nothing more important than the soil they plant their crops in. It is of the highest importance that they can keep their soil fertile and productive, not just in their lifetime but for generations to come.

A new and increasingly popular way to do so is by adding biostimulants on plants or the soil. Biostimulants are biological materials that can encourage disease resistance and enhance crop nutrient absorption, growth and yields.

Brenda Tubaña, a professor and soil fertility specialist in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, began experimenting in the past year with different commercially available biostimulants to create a database that will let farmers know the outcomes and effectiveness of using each one.

“The idea is to build a ’library’ of biostimulants information on their performance based on field testing to give guidance to producers as to which product is working to which crop. If I’m growing wheat or corn or soybeans, which biostimulant product will guarantee returns? We would like to have documentation to answer [this] question from producers,” Tubaña said.

To do this, Tubaña has been testing anywhere from eight to 14 specific biostimulants for soybeans, wheat and corn every year. The testing looked at yield, plant nutrient concentrations and soil nutrient availability. The approach is that testing will continue next year without the lowest performing biostimulants and replace them with new products as the research project tries to get the most robust information for the library.

The researcher conducted tests this past year to ensure that the AgCenter’s recommendations on fertilization and other soil fertility management practices have remained the same. Based on the data gathered so far, Tubaña sees no significant changes in the recommendations.

Tubaña also worked on an experiment using biochar and cover crops to improve soil health, enhance nutrient recycling and sustain soil productivity. The long-term plan of the project is to record how these additions of plant materials will impact organic matter buildup and how this will subsequently contribute to the health of soil and the crop we plant in it.

“Organic matter serves as a cementing agent for individual mineral particles in the soil and helps stabilize them forming larger and water-stable aggregates,” Tubaña said. “These aggregates have more resistance to destruction from rainfall impact compared to soil that has less stable aggregates, allowing the field to hold more moisture and nutrients.”

School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Science visiting scholar Alisson Camargo applies foliar sprays of biostimulant to corn. Photo by Brenda Tubaña

School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Science visiting scholars Leonard Nuugulu, left, and Abigail Audije collect soil samples after wheat harvesting for soil nutrient and microbial indices analysis. These plots received soil and foliar applications of biostimulants. Photo by Brenda Tubaña