Abstract
Although clear evidence for benefits in crop production is partly missing, several natural compounds and microorganisms have been introduced to the market as biostimulants. They are supposed to enhance nutrient efficiency and availability in the rhizosphere, reduce abiotic stress, and improve crop quality parameters. Biostimulants often derive from natural compounds, such as microorganisms, algae, and plant extracts. In this study, the commercial plant extract-based biostimulant ComCat® was tested in two field experiments with maize in the communities of Banikoara and Matéri in Northern Benin and six pot experiments (four with maize and two with winter barley) at the University of Hohenheim in Germany. Maize was grown under nutrient deficiency, drought, and weed competition, and winter barley was stressed by the herbicide Luximo (cinmethylin). ComCat® was applied at half, full, and double the recommended field rate (50, 100, and 200 g ha−1) on the stressed and unstressed control plants as leaf or seed treatment. The experiments were conducted in randomized complete block designs with four replications. The above-ground biomass and yield data of one experiment in Benin were collected. The biostimulant did not promote maize and winter barley biomass production of the unstressed plants. When exposed to stress, ComCat® resulted only in one out of eight experiments in higher barley biomass compared to the stressed treatment without ComCat® application. There was a reduced phytotoxic effect of cinmethylin after seed treatment with ComCat®. Crop response to ComCat® was independent of the application rate. Basic and applied studies are needed to investigate the response of crops to biostimulants and their mechanisms of action in the plants before they should be used in practical farming.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
The biostimulant did not promote maize biomass production of unstressed plants.
- Treatment
- biostimulante1
- Outcome
- biomass productione1
- Direction
- did not promotee1
- Qualifier
- of the unstressed plantse1
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The biostimulant did not promote maize and winter barley biomass production of the unstressed plants”
Claim · model-written summary
The biostimulant did not promote winter barley biomass production of unstressed plants.
- Taxon
- winter barley
.jpg?width=60)
Hordeum vulgaree1 - Treatment
- biostimulante1
- Outcome
- biomass productione1
- Direction
- did not promotee1
- Qualifier
- of the unstressed plantse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e1“The biostimulant did not promote maize and winter barley biomass production of the unstressed plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Under stress, ComCat resulted in higher barley biomass compared with the stressed treatment without ComCat in only one out of eight experiments.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaree1
- Treatment
- ComCat®e1
- Outcome
- barley biomasse1
- Direction
- highere1
- Qualifier
- only in one out of eight experimentse1
- Comparator
- stressed treatment without ComCat® applicatione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“When exposed to stress, ComCat® resulted only in one out of eight experiments in higher barley biomass compared to the stressed treatment without ComCat® application”
Claim · model-written summary
ComCat seed treatment reduced the phytotoxic effect of cinmethylin on winter barley.
- Taxon
- winter barleyHordeum vulgaree1
- Treatment
- seed treatment with ComCat®e2
- Outcome
- phytotoxic effect of cinmethyline2
- Direction
- reducede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“winter barley was stressed by the herbicide Luximo (cinmethylin)”
e2“There was a reduced phytotoxic effect of cinmethylin after seed treatment with ComCat®”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop response to ComCat was independent of the application rate.
Verbatim
e1“Crop response to ComCat® was independent of the application rate”
Claim · model-written summary
Basic and applied studies are needed before biostimulants such as ComCat should be used in practical farming.
Verbatim
e1“Basic and applied studies are needed to investigate the response of crops to biostimulants and their mechanisms of action in the plants before they should be used in practical farming”
The same questions in other papers
other · yield · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 28 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
27 papers more in this group
See all 31 papers →other · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
31 papers in the same direction as this paper · 221 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
249 papers more in this group
See all 253 papers →seed treatment · crop injury · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.