FAQs

There is no single globally agreed definition of a biostimulant.

One of the most widely referenced definitions comes from the European Union. It describes biostimulants as products applied to soil or crops to stimulate natural biological processes that:

• Increase the availability of nutrients in the soil;
• Improve plants’ nutrient-use efficiency;
• Increase tolerance to abiotic stress such as drought or heat;
• Enhance grain or produce quality traits.

Historically, biostimulants were poorly defined and lightly regulated in many countries.

To bring products to market, some companies combined biostimulant ingredients with micronutrients and registered them under fertiliser regulations. Over time, this created confusion for farmers about what these products do.

The regulatory landscape is now evolving. We recently reviewed how new EU regulations are supporting the development of science-based biostimulants.

In the UK, Defra has been exploring options for regulating biostimulant claims, but a formal framework has not yet been introduced. As a result, UK farmers should carefully review the evidence behind a product and look for field trial data that supports the manufacturer’s claims.

If you are considering a new biostimulant, a useful checklist includes:

• What specific problem is this product meant to solve?
• What is the active ingredient in the product?
• How does the active ingredient influence plant or soil processes?
• When should the product be applied, and is it compatible with other inputs?
• What is the total cost per hectare, including application?
• What yield or quality response is needed to break even?
• What probability is there of achieving a positive return on investment?
• How many trials were run to generate data to back up these claims?
• Were those field trials in crops and conditions like mine?
• What does the trial compare against (for example a standard agronomic programme)?

Asking these questions can help separate well-tested products from others.

Farmers ask us if biostimulants can be applied alongside other crop inputs to reduce application costs. The answer depends on the active ingredient and the mode of action of each product.

In addition to physical and chemical compatibility, biological interactions can also matter. For example, microbial biostimulants may be affected by certain fungicides.

Timing is also important. Biostimulants work by stimulating natural plant or soil processes, so they need to be applied at a stage when those processes can influence crop performance.

Some products are designed for use as seed treatments, others for soil or in-furrow application, and others as foliar sprays. Always follow label instructions and consult your agronomist.

In simple terms, biostimulants don’t feed the crop directly and don’t control weeds, pests or diseases. A useful analogy is human health:

• Fertilisers are like food – supplying nutrients for growth and development;
• Crop protection products are like medicine – targeting specific pests or diseases;
• Biostimulants are more like performance enhancers – optimising biological processes.

No. Biostimulants can differ widely in how they are produced and how they work.

Broadly speaking, they fall into three categories:

• Traditional biostimulants: Often derived from seaweed, plant extracts, or organic materials. These products contain complex mixtures of compounds that can influence plant or soil biology in multiple ways.
• Microbial products: Products where the active ingredient is a specific microbe or community of microbes. Most target biological processes in the soil, although some microbes are designed to colonise plant tissues.
• Single-molecule formulations: Products based on a clearly defined active ingredient that influences a specific biological process in the soil or plant. This is the category where SugaROx operates. Products in this category are still relatively rare in the market.

The honest answer is: it depends on the product, the crop and the environmental conditions. For yield-focused biostimulants, return on investment depends on several factors, including:

• Product cost per hectare;
• Whether it can be applied during an existing spray pass;
• Your baseline crop yield;
• The expected yield response under your conditions;
• The market price of the harvested crop.

Our market research suggests that farmers often look for a minimum return on investment of around 3:1 before trialling a new product. Before distributors add a biostimulant to their portfolio, they typically expect manufacturers to provide field data showing that farmers have a 70% or greater probability of achieving this level of return.

If you are unsure about a product, consider running a simple tramline trial with treated and untreated strips, ideally with replication. Be mindful of field slope and soil variability, and measure outcomes that directly affect profitability, such as yield or grain quality. Repeating trials across multiple seasons can provide more reliable insights.

Short answer: you can’t – yet.

Our T6P-based biostimulant is still in development and is not currently available for commercial sale. We are a spin-out from Oxford University and Rothamsted Research using an innovative technology based on 25+ years of science to develop a next generation of crop biostimulants.

We are in a unique position to develop the robust approaches required to raise performance in this industry. We test our products very thoroughly across multiple seasons and locations to generate clear evidence of where they work – and where they don’t. This helps ensure that future commercial partners can provide farmers with reliable agronomic guidance.

However, UK farmers may have an opportunity to participate in early testing.

Through a Large R&D Partnership funded by Innovate UK, we are running tramline trials with ADAS. These trials allow farmers to test our first biostimulant under real farming conditions and assess its potential return on investment and consistency.

If you are interested in participating and building practical knowledge about biostimulants via interaction with our scientists and agronomists from ADAS, contact our Business Development Director Bianca Forte to discuss whether our trials could make sense for your farm.