Microbial Biostimulants: From the Lab to the Field for A New Agriculture, Third Edition

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issues "Microbial Biostimulants: From the Lab to the Field for a New Agriculture" and "Microbial Biostimulants: From the Lab to the Field for a New Agriculture 2.0".

Plant biostimulants have been referred to different terminologies for the past 30 years as a function of their variable modes of action. The most widely used and recent definition states that biostimulants are biological substances, micro-organisms, and mineral compounds that can be directly applied to plants, seeds, and soil in order to improve plant growth, increase crop yield, and reduce plant stress. Mostly used in agriculture as preventive agents, they act as plant growth stimulators and enhancers of resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

This Special Issue aims to bring together a sample of very recent developments in microbial biostimulants for agriculture. In particular, these products are presently destined for the biofertilizer market or have become recently available to diverse agricultural production sectors, whether it be in horticulture, environmental and fruit arboriculture, viticulture, silviculture, or vegetable or crop production. The development of these innovative products is based on the application of chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, and microbiology to agriculture, taking into account the physiological, agricultural, and ecological constraints of plants. Finally, these plant microbial biostimulants must be effective at very low doses, while being ecologically friendly. Most of all, they must produce a positive and reproducible effect on crops. Whether bacteria or fungi, these microorganisms that can be used as plant biostimulants and plant health promoters are part of a large unknown microbial diversity, constituting the rhizospheric, epiphytic, or endophytic microbiota presently being domesticated. Their activities are also sustained by genetic interactions between plant and microbe species. These, just like the biostimulant impacts on human and animal health, which have yet to be elucidated, alongside their impacts.

Prof. Dr. Francois Lefort
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microbiology Research is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microbial biostimulants
• agricultural
• production