ROLE OF BIOSTIMULANTS IN FLOWERCROPS

1. INTRODUCTION

Flower growing practices have been evolving towards organic, sustainable or eco-friendly
approaches. Therefore, in modern floriculture new insights have been developed to achieve
sufficient and sustainable yield and quality. One among these approaches is the use of Biostimulants.

The word Biostimulants was apparently coined by the horticulture specialists to describe the
substances that promote the plant growth without being nutrients, soil improvers or the pesticides.
Biostimulants were first defined by Zhang et al., 1997 as “The materials that in minute quantities
promote the plant growth”.

In the Scientific literature the word Biostimulant was first defined by Kauffman et al. in 2007
as “the materials other than the fertilizers that promote the plant growth when applied in minute
quantities” and are also referred as ‘metabolic enhancers’. They promote the plant growth besides
improving yield and quality.

2. SCOPE OF BIOSTIMULANTS

In recent years, many efforts have been put into developing new fertilizers and fertilization
systems, and also for organic farming with lower fertilizer inputs. This aims to increase the nutrient
uptake, growth and development of the plants, and to improve the quality, productivity and
environmental impact. For such purposes, biostimulant products have appeared on the market.

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 3. COMMON FEATURES OF BIOSTIMULANTS

 The nature of biostimulants is diverse – as they include both substances and micro-
organisms.
 The physiological functions are diverse – Because each category of biostimulant has its own
physiological function starting from cellular mechanism, horticultural function and finally
economic and environmental benefits.
 The scientifically demonstrated effects of all biostimulants con-verge to at least one or
several of agricultural functions like tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improvement of
yield and quality, etc.

4. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIOSTIMULANTS AND TRADITIONAL CROP

INPUTS
 Biostimulants operate through different mechanisms than fertilizers, regardless of the presence of
nutrients in the products.
 Biostimulants differ from crop protection products because they act only on the plant’s vigour and
do not have any direct actions against pests or disease.
 In this way, Biostimulation is complimentary to the crop nutrition and protection.

APPLICATION METHODS:
Aerial application
 Seed treatment
 Seedling dip
 Foliar spray
Soil application
 Incorporation of bio-products
 Soil drenching

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 5. MAIN CATEGORIES OF BIOSTIMULANTS

Biostimulants are categorized in to 2 main groups:

1) Substances.
2) Micro-organisms.

Substances include:
 Humic substances
 Sea weed extracts
 Protein hydrolysates
 Chitin and chitosan derivatives
 Beneficial chemical elements
Micro-organisms include:
 Beneficial fungi
 Beneficial bacteria

1) Humic substances: These are the largest constituents of soil organic matter i.e > 60% and are
considered as a key component in the terrestrial ecosystem being responsible for many complex
chemical reactions in the soil. These are obtained by decomposition of plant, animal and microbial
residues and also by the activity of soil microbes using these substrates.
Sources of humic substances:
 Naturally humified organic matter ( from peat or volcanic soils)
 Composts and vermicomposts.
 Mineral deposits ( Leonardite – an oxidation form of lignite)

Leonardite Vermicompost Peat

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 Humic Substances are the largest collection of heterogeneous compounds which are originally
categorized based on their molecular weight and solubility in to –
a) Humin.
b) Humic acid.
c) Fulvic acid.

a) Humin: These are the fraction of humic substances which are of high molecular weight i.e. >
1,00,000 and are insoluble in water and any pH condition ( either acidic or alkaline) .Humin is
generally black in colour.
b) Humic acid: These are the largest fractions of humic substances which are insoluble in water and
highly acidic condition i.e < 2 but are soluble in alkaline condition. These have high molecular
weight of 10,000 to 1, 00,000. These are generally dark brown in colour. Humic acids are the
acids containing carboxyl and phenolic groups. The main source of humic acids is found in the
layers of the sedimentation of dark brown coal called Leonardite which is the oxidation form of
lignite.

c) Fulvic acid: These are the fractions of humic substances which are soluble in water and any pH
condition. These are low molecular weight humic acids i.e 1000-10,000 which are obtained after
the extraction of humic acid by acidification. Fulvic acids are generally light yellow or yellowish
brown in colour and are used as a soil supplement in agriculture.

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Table 1. Sources of humic and fulvic acid

Natural sources Content of humic and fulvic acids in %

Leonardite/ humate 40-85

Black peat 10-40

Sapropel peat 10-20
Brown coal 10-30
Dung 5-15
Compost 2-5
Soil 2-5
Sludge 1-5
Hard coal 0-1

Table 2. Per cent of C, H, O, N in Humic and Fulvic acids

% Dry ash-free basis

Substances
C H O N

Fulvic acids 44 - 49 3.5 – 5.0 44 - 49 2.0 – 4.0

Humic acids 52 - 62 3.0 – 5.5 30 - 33 3.5 – 5.0

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 EXTRACTION OF HUMIN, HUMIC ACID AND FULVIC ACID

Firstly the soil sample/ product sample is treated with the alkali giving the insoluble form
Humin. Then the soluble extract is treated with acid forming the insoluble Humic acid and soluble
fraction called Fulvic acid. The insoluble Humic acid is redissolved in base and electrolyte forming
brown Humic acid which is soluble.

Humic substances are the major determinant of soil fertility covering the physic-chemical and
biological activities. Thus contribute to formation and stability of soil aggregates, hence to soil
aeration and hydration. When these are applied on flowering plants they have following beneficial
roles-

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Forms of humic substances:

Pellets
Pelletss Liquid form Powder form

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 Available products:

Experimental results: Effects of Humic acid on growth, yield, vase life, and
corm characteristics of gladiolus.
Table 3: Effect of humic acid (HA) on growth of Gladiolus grandiflorus.

Treatments Time to 50% Number Leaf Total leaf Time to spike

sprouting of leaves area chlorophyll emergence(d)
(days) per plant (cm2) content(mg/g)

No HA and NPK 15.1a 3.3d 66.6d 53.90f 73.8a

NPK alone 13.3b 4.0c 71.30d 56.91e 70.1bc

HA alone 12.0c 4.3c 72.30d 64.50d 70.3bc
HA and NPK(1) 11.1c 4.2c 94.3c 67.57c 71.7ab
HA and NPK(2) 9.9d 4.9b 109.7b 70.66b 71.2ab
HA and NPK(3) 8.4e 5.7a 131.2a 75.04a 68.1c
Mean values within a column followed by different letters indicate significant differences
according to Tukey’s test (P ≤ 0.05).
(Ahmad et al., 2014, Pakistan )

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 Ahmad et al. (2014) studied on effect of humic acid on growth, yield, vase life, and corm
characteristics of gladiolus. The experiment consisted of 6 treatments, no NPK or HA (control), NPK
alone (applied at planting), HA alone (applied at planting), NPK and HA (applied at planting), NPK and
HA (applied at planting and 3-leaf stage), or NPK and HA (applied at planting, 3-leaf, and 6-leaf stage).
Humic Acid (extracted from a rock material ‘Leonardite’ with 5.5-6.0 pH) was applied at 7000 ml/ ha (2
ml/l of water) and sprayed uniformly on the planting beds for first application and next two applications
were applied to foliage of respective treatments, while NPK fertilizer (17-17-17) was applied at 250 kg/
ha.
Among the treatments Humic Acid and NPK spayed at the time of planting, 3- leaf stage and
6- leaf stage showed enhanced growth parameters like minimum days to 50% sprouting (8.4) , maximum
leaf area (131.2 cm2), maximum total chlorophyll content (75.04 mg/ g) as compared to the control
( 15.1, 66.6, 53.9 respectively). It might be due to increased effect on photosynthetic activity, N
metabolism and protein synthesis.

Table 4: Effect of humic acid (HA) on flowering and vase life of Gladiolus grandiflorus.

Treatments No. of Stem Spike Diameter of the Vase life

florets per length(cm) length flowers(cm) (Days)
spike (cm)
No HA and 10.7a 84.7c 45.1d 6.0d 9.7b
NPK
NPK alone 11.3b 88.1bc 49.1bcd 6.2d 9.8b

HA alone 11.9b 93.9bc 47.8cd 6.4c 10.5ab

HA and 12.0a 96.4b 51.4bc 6.0d 10.7ab

NPK(1)
HA and 12.5a 105.2a 54.1b 6.7b 10.2ab
NPK(2)
HA and 13.5a 106.8a 64.1a 7.3a 12.0a
NPK(3)
Mean values within a column followed by different letters indicate significant differences
according to Tukey’s test (P ≤ 0.05).

(Ahmad et al., 2014, Pakistan )

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 Ahmad et al. (2014) revealed that humic acid along with the NPK applied at the time of
planting, 3- leaf stage and 6- leaf stage showed remarkable increase with respect to flowering and
vase life parameters compared to untreated plants. It might be due to the improved nutrent uptake by
the humic acid treatments.

Table 5. Effect of humic acid (HA) on cormel characters of Gladiolus grandiflorus.

Treatments Number of cormels Diameter of a cormel (mm) Weight of cormel (g)

per clump
No HA and NPK 9.0f 4.0f 0.6e

NPK alone 10.0e 4.9e 1.0d

HA alone 12.5d 6.1d 1.7c

HA and NPK(1) 14.9c 7.3c 1.8c

HA and NPK(2) 18.0b 10.4b 4.9b

HA and NPK(3) 20.6a 13.4a 6.3a

Mean values within a column followed by different letters indicate significant differences
according to Tukey’s test (P ≤ 0.05).
(Ahmad et al., 2014, Pakistan)
Ahmad et al. (2014) reported that the corm and cormel characters were superior in case of
humic acid treated plants compared to the control. It might be due to healthy soil condition caused
by HA applications and effects of HA to make more mineral nutrients available to plants.

2) Sea weed extracts: These form an integral part of marine coastal ecosystem. It includes
macroscopic multicellular algae which commonly inhabit in the coastal regions of the world. It is
estimated that there are about 9000sps of macro algae that are categorized in to 3 main groups
namely:
 Brown algae ( Phaeophyta)
 Red algae ( Rhodophyta)
 Green algae (Chlorophyta)

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Among these types brown algae are majorly used and are the second most abundant group
comprising of 2000 species commonly found in the rocky shores of temperate zones.

Ascophyllum nodosum

Among the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum is highly researched one followed by

 Fucus spp

 Laminaria spp

 Sargassum spp

 Turbinaria spp

Fucus spp Laminaria spp

Turbinaria spp Sargassum spp

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Components of sea weed extracts:
 Carbohydrates (polysaccharides like alginates, laminarian and carragheenans)
 Macro and micronutrients
 Amino acids and proteins
 Vitamins
 PGR’S ( Cytokinin, Auxin and ABA)
 N-containing compounds like Betaines, sterols.

Extraction procedure:
 10g of sea weed is crushed and cooked for 4 hours at 90 oC with 750ml of water and 2g of
CaO with occasional stirring.
 The hot extract is centrifuged for 5minutes at 8000rpm
 The pellet is washed with warm water and centrifuged again.
 Supernatants are saved each time and pooled together.

STAGES OF SPRAY
 Vegetative and flowering stages.
APPLICATION METHODS:
Aerial application
 Seed treatment
 Seedling dip
 Foliar spray
Soil application
 Incorporation of marine bio-products
 Soil drenching

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 Role of sea weed extracts in plants
(Arthur et al. 2013 )
With respect to the root system weed extracts are mainly involved in better root development,
mineral absorption and nodulation. They are also helpful in improved shoot growth, enhancement of
plant defense against pest and diseases, better resistance to environmental stresses and finally results
in higher flowering and better yield.

Effects:
a) Effect on soil health: Besides eliciting the growth promoting activities sea weed extracts
also influence physical, chemical and biological properties. Sea weed extracts enhance the
soil health by improving the moisture holding capacity and by improving the beneficial soil
microbes.
b) Effect on plant growth: sea weed extracts have major effect on shoot and root growth. It
could be influenced by endogenous auxins as well as other compounds in the extracts. Sea

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 weed extracts improve nutrient uptake by roots resulting in root systems with improved water
and nutrient efficiency thereby causing enhanced general plant growth and vigour.
c) Effect on shoot growth and photosynthesis: Sea weed and sea weed extracts enhance plant
chlorophyll content and there by enhances shoot growth due to the presence of cytokinins.
d) Effect on yield: Sea weed concentrates triggers early flowering and encourages more
flowering by initiating robust plant growth which in turn has positive impact on yield.

Inspite of all these effects the SWE provide resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses such as
drought, salinity and temperature extremes through the presence of bioactive substances which
imparts stress tolerance and enhance plant performance. SWE have been shown to enhance plant
defence against pest and diseases. Besides influencing the physiology and metabolism of plants, sea
weeds promote plant health by affecting rhizosphere microbial community.

Available products:

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 Table 6. Effect of bioenzyme on growth, flower yield and vase life of China aster

Treatment Plant Branche Leaves First bud 50% No of Flower Spike Yield/ Vase
ht s (90 emergence Flowering flowers/ diamete length ha life
(cm) (90 DAT) DAT) (MD) (Days) pt r (q)
(cm)
T1 69.96 19.74 72.19 63.97 88.13 43.93 5.59 23.74 66.20 7.88

T2 75.46 23.98 76.94 58.01 84.37 46.30 5.87 28.42 74.13 8.01

T3 73.01 21.84 74.88 60.74 85.06 43.96 5.96 27.19 72.60 8.24

T4 66.74 20.21 70.17 66.04 92.14 41.27 5.74 23.55 63.62 8.14

T5 72.36 23.42 74.49 62.10 78.43 44.84 6.02 25.34 71.24 8.35

T6 70.62 21.76 73.31 63.26 89.96 42.46 6.28 29.96 69.17 8.23

T7 66.04 18.04 68.75 66.76 90.73 41.26 5.91 22.87 61.66 8.64

T8 70.74 21.67 73.76 60.98 85.93 42.22 6.26 24.42 69.02 9.19

T9 69.30 20.23 71.99 62.67 87.24 41.67 6.59 26.19 68.79 9.41

T10 65.20 16.66 64.86 70.20 98.02 41.06 5.34 22.26 60.42 7.14

S.E. 0.998 0.730 1.315 1.596 1.039 0.608 0.158 1.038 1.198 0.35
1
C.D.( P= 2.961 2.161 3.901 4.735 3.083 1.805 0.471 3.079 3.555 1.04
0.05) 3

(Karthiraj et al., 2008, MH)

Karthiraj et al. (2008) studied on effect of bioenzyme on growth, flower yield and vase life of China
aster. Bioenzymes are nothing but commercial formulations of Sea Weed Extracts. Bioenzymes Viz.,
Shaktizyme, New Phyton and Boom flower @1%, 2% and 3% were used for the study. They revealed
that, among the treatments Shaktizyme @ 2% Showed maximum plant height (75.46 cm), maximum
branches ( 23.98), maximum number of leaves (76.94),minimum days to first bud emergence (58.01),
minimum days to 50% flowering(84.37), maximum number of flowers per plant (46.30) and
maximum yield (74.13q) compared to untreated plants. Whereas, Boom flower @ 3% showed
maximum flower diameter (6.59 cm) and enhanced vase life of 9.41 days. It might be due to the
presence of macro and micronutrients, growth promoters such as auxin and gibberillin in the Sea

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 Weed Extracts which helps in cell division, cell elongation and better nutrient absorption and
there by improves the growth, flowering and yield characters.

Table 7. Effect of Bioenzyme on flowering, yield and vase life of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

Composition of bioenzymes

Bio-Veg – Natural extract of sea weed, vermicompost and natural humus.

Bio – K – Proteinized botanical extract containing Adatoda vasakas 0.01%, Emblica ribis 0.01%
and aqua solvent 99.98%.
Amrutzyme - Naturally hydrolysed protein and amino acid.

Tr. Treatments Days to Diameter No. of Wt. Total Total Vase life of flower
No 50% of flower Of yield yield/h (days)
flowering flower(cm s per flower per a Distilled 5%sucrose
) plant (g) plant(g) (q) water
T1 Bio-veg (1ml/lt of 65.16 6.36 18.62 12.94 230.96 147.63 4.75 4.95
water)
T2 Bio-veg (2ml/lt of 65.07 6.48 19.87 13.1 237.14 151.34 4.85 5.122
water)
T3 Bio-veg (3ml/lt of 62.16 6.85 21.7 13.47 253.31 161.69 4.91 5.38
water)
T4 Bio-K (1ml/lt of 66.24 6.14 17.55 12.66 219.56 140.48 4.71 4.85
water)
T5 Bio-K (2ml/lt of 65.23 6.33 18.64 12.85 232.49 147.23 4.8 5.04
water)
T6 Bio-K (3ml/lt of 65.02 6.73 19.6 13.3 251.5 160.73 4.84 5.22
water)
T7 Amrutzyme 68.1 5.32 15.97 12.23 194.45 126.16 4.69 4.79
(1ml/lt of water)
T8 Amrutzyme 67.35 5.56 16.68 12.3 207.45 132.07 4.74 4.84
(2ml/lt of water)
T9 Amrutzyme 66.27 5.73 17.35 12.59 218.24 139.25 4.78 4.88
(3ml/lt of water)
T10 Contol 69.98 4.72 14.89 11.19 186.36 120.73 4.4 4.58

S.E.± 0.96 0.245 0.516 0.052 9.607 4.681 0.138 0.053

C.D. (P=0.05) 2.84 0.726 1.53 0.155 28.501 13.89 0.411 0.159

(Shinde et al., 2010)

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 Shinde et al. (2010) studied on effect of bioenzymes on flowering, yield and vase life of
marigold. The bioenzymes viz., Bio-Veg, Bio- K and Amrutzyme @ 1ml/l, 2ml/l and 3ml/l
respectively( Table 7) were used for the study. The plants were sprayed with bioenzymes for 3 levels
at 15 days interval. Among the 3 bioenzymes Bio-Veg ( sea weed extract formulation) @ 3ml/l
showed minimum days to 50% flowering(62.16), maximum diameter of the flower (6.85 cm),
maximum number of flowers per plant(21.7) , maximum yield per hectare (161.69 q) and enhanced
vase life (4.91 in DW and 5.38 in Sucrose @ 5%) compared to the control. This might be due to the
presence of sea weed extracts which acts as a precursor of the auxin, cytokinin and micronutrients
which in turn increase the photosynthetic activity of the plant and it is mainly involved in the early
production of florigin and other flower inducing substances there by enhancing the growth,
flowering and yield of marigold.

3) Protein hydrolysates:
These are category of plant biostimulants defined as mixtures of polypeptides, oligopeptides
and amino acids that are manufactured from protein sources using partial hydrolysis. Protein
hydrolysates are mainly produced by chemical and / or enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins contained in
agro industrial by-products from animal (leather, feather, blood) or plant origin (vegetable by-
products) and in biomass of dedicated legume crops.

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 Actually, more than 90% of protein hydrolysates market in horticulture is based on products
obtained through chemical hydrolysis of proteins from animal origin (Collagen from leather and fish
by-products).
Besides amino acids and peptides protein hydrolysates contain other compounds that can
contribute to the biostimulant action. These compounds include fats, carbohydrates, phenols, mineral
elements, phyto-harmones and other organic compounds.
Application of protein hydrolysates to leaves and roots increase Fe and N metabolism,
nutrient uptake, water and nutrient use efficiencies for both macro and micro elements.

Effect of protein hydrolysates on plant metabolism:

 Effect on primary plant metabolism:

Protein hydrolysates have been shown to stimulate N metabolism and assimilation. In
plants all inorganic N is first reduced to ammonia before it is incorporated in to organic form.
The N assimilation is a key process controlling plant growth and development. Inorganic N
derived form of fertilizers are assimilated in to amino acid, glutamine, glutamate, asparagines
and aspirate which serves as important N carriers in plants.

 Effect on secondary plant metabolism:

Protein hydrolysates including amino acids like proline and betaines helps in iducing
secondary plant metabolism and increase plant defence responses and tolerance to stresses like
salinity, drought, thermal stress, adverse soil pH and nutrient deficiency.
Available products:

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 Morpho-physiological traits of pansy (Viola tricolor L.) affected by foliar
application of bio-stimulant.

Table 8: Composition of protein hydrolysates.

Table 9. Effect of protein hydrolysates on growth and flowering of pansy

(Viola tricolor L.)

Tre Plant Stem SPAD Num. Of Flower Number Total Total

atm height(c diamete value leaves / diameter of fresh dry
ent m) r plant (mm) flowers/p weight weight
(mm) lant) (g/plant) (g/plant)
C 17.64 2.95c 30.50c 28.66c 31.60d 12d 17.19d 6.90
A1 19.57 5.0a 40.52ab 44.00a 39.90bc 20bc 20.72ed 7.90
A2 18.40 3.70bc 38.00bc 38.66ab 35.20ed 18bc 19.45ed 7.50
H1 21.25 4.30ab 49.81a 32.66bc 38.24ed 26a 25.40bed 8.60
H2 20.50 3.53bc 46.20ab 28.66c 34.50ed 20bc 23.80bed 7.50
K1 20.96 4.10b 44.80ab 38.66ab 35.92ed 24ab 34.90a 9.40
K2 19.40 3.50bc 42.30ab 36.00abc 33.70ed 20bc 30.40ab 8.90
F1 23.31 4.30ab 48.30ab 36.66abc 48.22a 18bc 26.41bc 8.70
F2 21.90 3.10c 45.50ab 34.66bc 44.85ab 16ed 23.11bed 8.20
A- Aminolforte, H- Humiforte, K- Kodostim, F – Fosnutren

(Amir et al., 2015, Iran)

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 Amir et al. (2015) studied on Morpho-physiological traits of pansy (Viola tricolor L.)
affected by foliar application of bio-stimulant. Biostimulant formulation viz., Aminolforte,
Humiforte, Kodostim, Fosnutren @ 2l/ha and 4l/ha respectively (Table 9), were sprayed on shoots of
pancy plants for four times during growth stages with eight days interval. The first spray was done 3
days after transplant and others were applied 12, 21 and 30 days after transplant. The results revealed
that all the protein hydrolysates formulation @ 2l/ha showed positive results with respect to
vegetative and floral parameters. It might be due to the presence of amino acids, which are the
precursors of polyamines essential in the regulation of plant growth and development and also
activate the effective hormones in flower initiation thereby increase the number of flowers. The
increased chlorophyll is mainly due to the presence of amino acids in the formulations as they inhibit
the chlorophyll degradation.

4) Chitin and chitosan derivatives:

Chitin and chitin and chitosan are the copolymers of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-
glucosamine which are linked via β- 1, 4 glycosidic linkages similar to cellulose. Chitin is a natural
polymer found in all marine and terrestrial ecosystems, where it constitutes the exoskeleton of
insects, crustaceans and cell wall of true fungi. Although chitin can be found in various sources in
nature, it is normally produced from shrimp or crab shells by demineralization and deproteinization.
Chitin is distinguished from chitosan by high proportion of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine over D-
glucosamine in the polymer chain, with typically 95% of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and 5% D-
glucosamine being found in chitin derived from crab shells and shrimp shells.
Chitosan is not found abundantly in nature, but it is produced from chitin via heterogenous
deacetylation process, where chitin is soaked in 40-50% (w/v) NaOH. Chitin is normally
deacetylated to remove over 80% of the acetyl groups from N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues,
converting it in to D- glucosamine to yield chitosan.
Crustaceans and fungi are the main source of the industrial extraction of the chitin which is
the starting point of many chito-oligosaccharides obtained by size reduction and chemical
modifications. Depending on the industrial application, chito-oligosaccharides are used as food and
feed additives, antimicrobial agents, plant antitranspirants, growth stimulators and plant protection
products.
The main function of chitin and chitosan are in plant protection against viruses, bacteria,

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fungi and insects via activation of host defence genes and the development of so called immune
response. Plants do not produce antibodies and their immunity is of clearly different nature
compared with animals, but they can express a range of protective compounds including secondary
metabolites, enzyme inhibitors and cell wall hydrolysates as physical barriers.

Chitin Crustacean shells

Available products:

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 Table 10. Effect of type of chitosan in gladiolus corms var. ‘Blanca Borrega’ over
plant development and vase life.
Treatments Corm Initiation of Number of Number of Vase Number of
emergence floral leaves flowers life cormlets
(days) spike (days) per spike (days)

Water 12.2 ba 65.7 aa 8.9 aa 6.4 ca 2.8 ba 2.3 ba

Chitosan 11.8 a 63.6 a 9.0 a 9.3 b 5.1 a 1.8 c
reagent
1.5%
Chitosan 8.8 b 63.2 a 9.2 a 11.0 a 5.5 a 4.4 a
Biorend1
1.5%
Untreated 12.3 a 66.4 a 8.6 a 3.6 d 1.7 b 1.9 c
a
Means followed by the same letter are not significant different (P 0.05) determined by
Tukey’s multiple test.
(Margarita et al., 2009, Mexico)

Margarita et al. (2009) conducted an experiment on effect of chitosan on gladiolus corms

variety ‘Blanca Borrega’ over plant development and vase life. Chitosan reagent of 1.5% was prepared
by dissolving 30g chitosan in 1000ml of distilled water, adding gradually 10ml of acetic acid. The
commercial chitosan Biorend 1 was prepared at 1.5% concentration. In the first treatment the corms of
gladiolus were treated with hot water for one hour. In second and third treatment corms were treated
with chitosan reagent @ 1.5% and chitosan biorend 1 @ 1.5% for one hour respectively. The final
treatment comprised of untreated plants. Among the treatments the commercial formulation of chitosan
i.e Biorend 1 showed minimum days to corm emergence (8.8), minimumdays for initiation of floral
spikes (63.2), maximum number of flowers per spike (11), maximum number of cormlets per plant
(14.4) compared to untreated corms. This might be due to the bioactivity of chitosan which has growth
promoting and fungicidal properties.

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5) Beneficial chemical elements:

Chemical elements that promote growth and may be essential to particular taxa but are not required
by all plants are called beneficial elements.
5 main beneficial elements are Aluminium, Cobalt, Sodium, Selenium and Silicon. They are
present in soil and plants as different mineral species.
These elements may be present as abundant (Eg. Si, Na) or rare (Eg. Se, Co) chemicals in
environment. They will be present in trace or larger amounts in wide range of fertilizers. Their
availability in soil may strongly depend on pH and on root exudates like for Al and Co. When these are
intentionally applied to plants as biostimulants, various sources are identified. For example – Silicon
which receives much interest as plant biostimulant, may be obtained as Calcium Silicate from industrial
slag by-product (Ca2SiO4 ) from geological deposit Wallastonite (CaSiO 3) and also from ashes of
agricultural by-products.
It is assumed that the bioactivity of some complex biostimulants like compost teas and plant
extracts involves the physiological functions of the contained minerals, of which beneficial elements
might play a significant role.

The beneficial chemical elements are mainly involved in:

Cell wall rigidification.
Osmo-regulation.
Reduced transpiration by crystal deposits.
Thermal regulation via radiation reflection.
Enzyme activity by co-factor.
Plant nutrition via interaction with other elements during uptake and mobility.
Anti-oxidants.
Protection against heavy metal toxicity.
Plant hormonal synthesis.

Calcium silicate

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Available products:

II. Beneficial microbes:

This category includes:
a) Beneficial bacteria.
b) Beneficial fungi.

Beneficial bacteria may be free living such as Azatobacter and Azospirullum or symbiotic such
as Rhizobium. The beneficial fungi include Trichoderma and Arbascular Mycorrhiza. These can be
used as root dips, soil drenches and can be soil injected. They can also be mixed with liquid
fertilizers.
These beneficial microbes are isolated from variety of environment including soil, plants,
plant residues, water and composted manures. They promote the growth by several mechanisms such
as increasing the supply of nutrients, increasing root biomass or root area and increase the nutrient
uptake capacity of the plants by converting the nutrients in to absorbable forms.

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 Role of microbial biostimulation

Available products:

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Table 11. Effect of different microbial Biostimulants on the growth and quality
characteristics of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. white friendship.

(((( (Ahmad et al. 2014, Faisalabad )

Ahmad et al. (2014) conducted an experiment to know the effect of microbial biostimulants
on gladiolus. 4 microbial formulations containing Rhizobium, PSB, Azatobacter and Azospirillum

were used for the study. Healthy corms of gladiolus with 10- 12cm diameter of variety white
friendship were treated with slurry containing all the four microbial inoculants for half an hour. Then
the corms were shade dried and taken for planting. The results revealed that corms treated with
slurry of Azospirillum showed minimum days to sprouting (17.58), maximum plant height (79.56),
maximum number of florets per spike (13.12) and maximum spike length (74.04) than the control
plants. It is because, Azospirillum has a role in nitrogen fixation and is also involved in the
production of IAA, GA and cytokinin substances which enhance the growth of plants.

26
Table 12. Effect of different microbial biostimulants on vase life, corm/cormels production
and nutrient uptake characteristics of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. white friendship.

(Ahmad et al., 2014, Faisalabad)

Ahmad et al. (2014) reported that gladiolus corms treated with slurry of Azospirillum
showed maximum number of corms/ plant (1.78), maximum number of cormels (31.95), maximum
corm weight (38.78) and enhanced nutrient uptake compared to the control. This might be due to
better availability of phosphorous, which is required in particularly for corm growth. Better cormels
production might be due to corms inoculated with biofertilizers have stored more carbohydrates
through effective photosynthesis. The increase in corms weight might be due to storage of
carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds in the corms.

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Table 13: Effect of sprays of bio-stimulants on growth and flowering parameters of
carnation cv. Sunrise.

Treatment
T1 Control - common basal dose + RDF
T2 2% Panchagavya
T3 4 % Panchagavya
T4 6% Panchagavya
T5 2% Manchurian Mushroom Tea
T6 4% Manchurian Mushroom Tea
T7 6% Manchurian Mushroom Tea
T8 2% Manchurian Mushroom Tea +2% Panchagavya
T9 4% Manchurian Mushroom Tea +2% Panchagavya
T10 6% Manchurian mushroom tea +2% Panchgavya
T11 2% Manchurian Mushroom Tea + 4 % Panchagavya
T12 4% Manchurian Mushroom Tea +4% Panchagavya
T13 6% Manchurian Mushroom Tea+ 4% Panchagavya
T14 2% Manchurian Mushroom Tea+ 6% Panchagavya
T15 4% Manchurian Mushroom Tea+ 6% Panchagavya
T16 6% Manchurian Mushroom Tea+ 6% Panchagavya

(Sharma et al. 2010, Solan)

Sharma et al. (2010) studied on effect of sprays of bio-stimulants on growth and flowering
parameters of carnation cv. Sunrise. The experiment consisted of 16 treatments (Table 14).
Panchagavya was prepared by using cow dung and twelve numbers of bananas. Manchurian
Mushroom Tea was prepared by mixing sucrose solution (30gm/ 2.5lts.), ordinary tea (4 tablespoons
per 2.5 lts.) and Manchurian yeast culture (30gm/ 2.5lts. ) Four tablespoons of ordinary tea was
added in 2.5 lts. of water and boiled for five minutes. After filling the solution into a glass jar,
300gm of pure sugar was added to make the concentration of 12 percent. The solution was cooled to
lukewarn stage and 30 gm of starter Manchurian yeast culture was added to it. The mouth of the jar
was covered with clean muslin cloth and kept at room temperature in well aerated place. When the
solution started emitting foul smell, it was filtered into another clean glass jar. Two percent of
solution of Manchurian Mushroom tea was prepared by dissolving 20 ml of the filtered solution in
one litre of water followed by the preparation of 4 and 6 percent solutions. Both the biostimulants

28
 were applied as foliar spray through hand sprayer on the leaves of carnation plants. The spray
schedule started after one month of planting at an interval of 15 days.

Table 14: Effect of sprays of bio-stimulants on growth and flowering parameters of

carnation cv. Sunrise.

Treatm plant Stem Days to No. of Flower Vase life Calyx Diseases
ent height length first flowers/ size (day) splitting Incidence
(cm) (cm) flower plant (cm) (%) (%)

T1 64.33 56.90 179.37 6.03 4.71 10.34 20.00 6.67(2.39)*

(4.52)*
T2 65.43 57.53 184.73 6.23 4.68 11.10 13.33 6.67(2.39)
(3.67)
T3 66.87 59.93 181.00 6.23 4.69 10.97 3.33(1.55) 6.67(2.39)
T4 67.83 61.93 181.23 6.41 4.73 11.43 3.33(1.55) 3.33(1.55)
T5 65.33 60.87 181.80 6.07 4.79 11.90 6.67(2.39) 3.33(1.55)
T6 66.87 60.70 181.13 6.13 4.89 11.53 6.67(2.39) 3.33(1.55)
T7 66.11 60.87 180.73 6.31 4.87 12.00 3.33 3.33(1.55)

T8 66.23 60.73 181.63 6.47 4.93 12.57 3.33(1.55) 3.33 (1.55)

T9 66.97 62.00 179.83 6.40 4.96 13.33 3.33(1.55) 3.33( 1.55)
T10 68.70 61.23 175.90 6.25 4.95 13.05 3.33(1.55) 3.33(1.55)
T11 69.37 63.07 176.90 6.21 4.93 14.17 0.00(0.70) 3.33(1.55)
T12 67.15 61.33 176.03 6.28 4.95 14.70 3.33(1.55) 3.33(1.55)
T13 70.10 63.03 175.47 6.40 4.93 14.93 0.00(0.70) 0.00(0.70)
T14 69.30 63.50 173.57 6.43 4.96 15.00 0.00(0.70) 0.00(0.70)
T15 70.08 64.67 174.07 6.27 4.98 15.27 0.00(0.70) 0.00(0.70)
T16 71.03 64.77 173.43 6.60 4.99 15.30 0.00(0.70) 0.00(0.70)
C.D. 2.55 1.93 2.75 0.41 0.09 0.64 1.76 1.58

29
 Sharma et al. (2010) revealed that Plants grown in 6% Panchagavya + 6% Manchurian
mushroom tea recorded maximum plant height(71.00cm), stem length (64.77 cm),number of
flowers(6.60), flower size (4.99 cm), vase life (15.30 days) and 'A' grade flowers based on stem
strength (100%) and length (100%). Minimum days taken to flower (173.47 days) were recorded
with 4% Panchagavya + 6% Manchurian mushroom tea. Minimum duration of flowering (23.57
days) was recorded with 6% Panchagavya + 6% Manchurian mushroom tea. Minimum calyx
splitting (0.00%) was observed with 6% Manchurian mushroom tea. Panchagavya (4%) resulted in
minimum (0.00%) incidence of disease. It may be due attributed to the presence of nutrients
elements like N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn, Na and Mn present in Panchgavya and Manchurian
mushroom tea which provide disease resistance and improve the growth and yield of carnation.

Top producers of biostimulants:

 Suboneyo chemicals pharmaceuticals (p) Ltd. Jalgaon, India.

 Eagle plant protect private limited, Ahmadabad
 Beta chemsol, Mumbai, India
 Omega neutraceuticals Pvt Ltd, Indore, India
 Sar agrochemicals and fertilizers Pvt Ltd, Pune, India
 Asian agri technologies, Nasik, India
 Manidnaema biotech private Ltd, Chennai, India
 Advent biotech Pvt. Ltd, Maylapuram, AP

30
Conclusion

Biostimulants are getting a great deal of attention today. Use of biostimulants is a farmer and
environmental friendly approach which needs technical and practical attention. In general,
Biostimulants are not used to provide nutrition, but rather to encourage and stimulate the plant
metabolism, to improve nutrient use efficiency, or product yield and quality, and to reduce the
impact on the environment.

31
 UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES,
SHIVAMOGGA
COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE, MUDIGERE – 577 132
DEPARTMENT OF FLORICULTURE & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Name : Pruthvi, P. Hegde Date : 10-02-2016

ID No : MH2TAD040 Time : 2.30 PM
Class : Sr. M. Sc.(Hort.) Venue : Seminar Hall
SEMINAR-II
ON
ROLE OF BIOSTIMULANTS IN FLOWER CROPS
SYNOPSIS

Flower growing practices have been evolving towards organic, sustainable or eco-friendly
approaches. Therefore, in modern floriculture new insights have been developed to achieve
sufficient and sustainable yield and quality. One among these approaches is the use of
Biostimulants. Biostimulants are the materials other than the fertilizers that promote the plant
growth when applied in minute quantities and are also referred as ‘metabolic enhancers’. They
promote the plant growth besides improving yield and quality.

Karthiraj et al. (2008) observed that Bioenzyme formulations viz., Shaktizyme, New
Phyton and Boom flower @1%, 2% and 3% improved the growth flower yield and vase life of
china aster compared to untreated plants.

Margarita et al. (2009) reported that Gladiolus corms treated with Chitosin Biorend 1 @
1.5 % showed minimum number of days for corm emergence (8.8 days) and initiation of floral
spikes (63.2 days) compared to untreated corms ( 12.3 and 61.4 respectively)

Sharma et al. (2010) revealed that foliar spray of Panchagavya and Mushroom
Manchurian Tea on Carnation plants obtained maximum number of flowers (6.60) and vase life (
15.30) compared to control (6.03 and 10.34 respectively)

Ahmad et al. (2014) observed that Among Humic acid (HA) treatments, three
applications of HA and NPK, applied at planting, 3-leaf, and 6-leaf stages of plant development
proved best for early and uniform sprouting (8.4 days), greater leaf area (131.2 cm 2, earlier spike
emergence(68.1 days), greater number of florets per spike(13.5), longer vase life (12 days) in
gladiolus compared to the control.

32
 Amir et al. (2015) revaled that amino acid formulations viz., Aminolforte, Humiforte,
Kodostim and Fosnutren at 2 L/ ha showed positive effects on morpho-physiological traits of
pansy (Viola tricolor L.) compared to control.

Conclusion

Biostimulants are getting a great deal of attention today. Use of Biostimulants is a farmer and
environmental friendly approach which needs technical and practical attention. In general,
Biostimulants are not used to provide nutrition, but rather to encourage and stimulate the plant
metabolism, to improve nutrient use efficiency, or product yield and quality, and to reduce the
impact on the environment.

REFERENCES

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characteristics of gladiolus. Chilean J. Agril. Res., 73 (4): 339-344.

AMIR, F., BADI, H., ALI, M. AND SANAZ, B., 2015, Morpho-physiological traits of pansy
(Viola tricolor L.) affected by foliar application of bio-stimulants. J. Bio. Sci., 6 (1): 30-
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KARTHIRAJ, K., PATIL, R., VASMATE, S. AND MANOLIKAR R., 2008, Effect of
Bioenzyme on growth, flower yield and vase life of China aster. Asian J. Hort., 3
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MARGARITA, R., SALVADOR O., ANA, N. AND HERNA L., 2009, Response of gladiolus
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Hort., 13(2): 101-106.

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33
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