Chapter 1: Introduction
Plant biostimulants cover a diverse group of substances and microorganisms that can modify a plant's physiology to improve its efficiency and resilience. Farmers apply biostimulant products to crop seeds, to soil, or as a foliar spray, to improve yield and or quality. Confusingly, biostimulants also sometimes go by other names, such as elicitors, plant strengtheners and conditioners, phytostimulants, phytoprotectants, bioactivators, microbial innoculants, or soil, yield, crop, and plant growth enhancers.

Chapter 2: Biostimulant market
The global market for biostimulants was worth around US$2,556 million ($2.56 billion) in 2021 at the manufacturer level, and it is growing with a CAGR of around 10%, as estimated by S&P Global. This compares with a figure of $2,324 million ($2.32 billion) in 2020, and around $2,100 million ($2.1 billion) in 2019, which was estimated in the last edition of this report. Over 500 companies are involved in the biostimulants and BCA market, many selling both types of products. They range from fertilizer companies, agribusinesses, and specialist biological companies. Established companies and startups are active in the market. The market is highly competitive, with relatively low barriers of entry compared with those for the conventional crop protection market.

Chapter 3: Regions
Europe is the largest regional market for biostimulants, with around 38% of global sales. The second biggest market is Asia-Pacific with 27% of sales, followed by Latin America with 20% of global sales. North America is in fourth place, with 13% of the market. In Europe, the Mediterranean countries, particularly Spain, Italy, and France, are leading the way for production and usage of biostimulants. This dominance has allowed a strong industry to flourish. Currently it is estimated that almost half of the total market value of biostimulants in Europe is represented using biostimulants for row crops, including cereals, oilseeds, pulses, and fiber crops.

Chapter 4: Crops
The agricultural biostimulant market is split into row crops (including cereals); fruit and vegetables; turf and ornamentals; and others. Usage is split nearly evenly between the first two categories, which together represent some 80% of the total market. While row crops and cereals use a lower volume of biostimulants on a per hectare basis than fruit and vegetables, these crops cover a much larger total area.

Chapter 5: Application and formulation
Biostimulants may be applied: to the crop as a foliar spray; to the soil, as a drench, granule, or powder; or as a seed treatment. The market is dominated by foliar applications, which account for around three quarters of value sales. The value of soil applications of biostimulants is considerably smaller. Here, liquid formulations may be diluted and applied to the soil as a spray or by drip or micro-irrigation. Alternatively, solid formulations such as granules or powders may be used. The value of biostimulants used as seed treatments is estimated to be growing at the fastest rate of all three segments, due to the increasing use of high-value seed.

Chapter 6: R&D investment
It takes only around two to five years to bring a new biostimulant product to market. For products that work when the crop is under stress, many field trials may be necessary. Companies selling biostimulants have often been too small to fund this level of research. In addition, the historical lack of legislation has meant that many biostimulants were able to be sold without the backing of scientific data.

Chapter 7: Legislation
The rapid growth in the market for biostimulants has outpaced the development of legislation to regulate this sector. On an international level, there is still a lack of standards covering the products. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has started work to create an ISO standard on biostimulant terminology.

Chapter 8: Companies
The huge growth predicted in the global biostimulant market has led to the entry of a new wave of companies. There are two main types of new entrant. The first are the large companies entering the top end of the market, often by acquiring biostimulant technologies or product lines. Second are the small research companies. Meanwhile, the sector is still defined by the involvement of many longstanding SMEs. This has been encouraged by the lack of registration requirements in many countries and resulting low barriers to entry.

Chapter 9: Companies - profiles
This section profiles a selection of companies involved in the biostimulants sector, covering their products, production, R&D, and strategy. These are: Acadian Seaplants, Agrinos, Arysta LifeScience, BASF, Biolchim, Groupe Roullier, Italpollina, Nutrien, Tradecorp and Valagro and others.