FERTILISER GUIDELINES FOR THE WINE INDUSTRY

BIOSTIMULANTS Agricultural biostimulants are biological or naturally-derived fertiliser additives aiding in plant growth and development. Biostimulants should not be confused with agricultural fertilisers that correct nutrient deficiencies, but rather as an additive that act on plant physiology through different pathways to improve nutrient assimilation and translocation which increases crop vigour, improves plant metabolism which leads to higher yields, fruit quality and post-harvest shelf life/conservation. Biostimulants also has the ability to increase crop tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Crop biostimulation is therefore complementary to crop nutrition and crop protection and increases the growers return on investment. However, there is no evidence that biostimulants are essential for “normal” vineyards, with a realistic performance. In such cases the application of biostimulants will only lead to wasteful expenditure.

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