“My neighbor used the same product and got a 20% yield increase, while mine was almost zero.”
Such situations are well known to agronomists. They are often the reason for distrust of biostimulants, microbial preparations, and complex organo-mineral fertilizers.
However, a different result does not mean that the technology does not work. More often, it indicates something else: biological and organo-mineral products do not act in isolation, but within a complex system that includes the plant, soil, moisture, temperature, mineral nutrition, microbiota, and overall cultivation technology.
Therefore, the correct question is not:
“Do biostimulants work at all?”
And so:
“Under what conditions, on what crop, at what dose, and to solve what problem can a specific product provide the predicted result?”
One of the largest meta-analyses of the effectiveness of non-microbial biostimulants in field conditions included 1,087 paired observations from 180 studies.
The average yield increase was 17.9%. At the same time, significant statistical heterogeneity was recorded between the results of individual tests – I² at the level of 75% and more.
This means that the effect varied significantly depending on:
Therefore, the average value of 17.9% should not be taken as a guaranteed increase for every field. It is a generalized result of a large number of experiments conducted under different conditions.
In the analyzed studies, a higher relative effect was more often observed:
At the same time, the authors of the meta-analyses draw attention to the possible bias of scientific publications towards positive results. Successful trials are published more often than neutral or negative ones. Therefore, average indicators should be interpreted with caution and always correlated with specific farm conditions.
Author’s note — Timur LEVDA
“The natural system does not work on the principle of a button: you press it and always get the same result. We do not apply the product to an empty space, but to a specific soil with its own history, structure, water regime, and microbial life. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate not only the product – you need to see the entire object.”
The variation in results is not a random anomaly. It stems from the very nature of biostimulatory action.
The result is influenced by:
In soil with sufficient nutrition, optimal structure, and high biological activity, the additional effect may be relatively small.
On degraded, low-humus, saline, compacted or arid soils, the potential for response is often greater, as the right product helps to alleviate a specific limiting factor.
Many biostimulants manifest themselves most clearly under conditions of abiotic stress:
In a favorable season, a plant can approach its genetic potential without additional stimulation. Therefore, the relative difference between the treated and control variants will be smaller.
But this does not necessarily mean that the biostimulant did not work. Its effect can manifest itself not only in tonnage, but also in:
Corn, wheat, vegetables, legumes, and berries have different physiological needs. Even two hybrids of the same crop may react differently to the same composition.
The time of application is equally important.
A product applied during the period of active root formation may give a different result than the same product applied after the main mass of roots has formed or after the onset of severe stress.
The biostimulant cannot fully compensate for:
Soil, foliar, and seed application are different technological scenarios.
In international field studies, soil application has often shown a higher average effect than foliar or seed application. However, this does not mean that soil application will always be the best for every crop.
The result depends on:
Repeated applications also do not always automatically improve results. After a certain number of applications, the additional effect may decrease.
Therefore, the principle of “more inputs, better results” for biostimulants is not universal.
Fundamentally different products can be sold under the general name “biostimulant”:
Even products in the same category can differ in:
Therefore, the category name itself does not explain the mechanism of action and does not guarantee the same effectiveness.
Author’s note — Timur LEVDA
“Versatility should not mean the same formula for all conditions. Another principle is more correct: a single logic for building a product, but adapting it to the soil type, target pH, crop and environmental task.”
Its task is not only to short-term stimulate the physiological processes of the plant, but also to form a more favorable environment in the root system zone.
During the production of complex fertilizers TM GREENODIN, granules at the granulation stage are additionally enriched with a complex of biostimulating components:
Each of these components performs its own function.
Auxins are associated with the regulation of growth processes, cell division and elongation, root formation, and root system development.
Their presence in the complex product is aimed at maintaining active root formation, thanks to which the plant can use moisture and nutrients more efficiently.
Humic acids affect the physicochemical properties of the soil and the interaction between the soil matrix, roots, and nutrients.
They can contribute to:
Fulvic acids have a lower molecular weight and higher mobility compared to humic acids.
They can participate in the complexation and transport of nutrients, maintaining their availability to plants.
L-amino acids are natural participants in plant metabolic processes. They are used in the synthesis of proteins, enzymes and other biologically active compounds.
Their application can support plant recovery under stressful conditions, especially when the synthesis of organic compounds requires significant energy expenditure.
The introduction of auxins, humic acids, fulvic acids and L-amino acids at the granulation stage makes it possible to combine:
in one complex granular product.
In the soil, such a granule performs not only the function of a source of nutrients and minerals. It forms a local zone of interaction between:
This fundamentally distinguishes a complex granular fertilizer from a product containing only one biostimulant or applied as a short-term foliar treatment.
At the same time, the presence of biostimulating components does not automatically mean the same increase in yield in all conditions.
The final result depends on:
Author’s note — Timur LEVDA
“At the granulation stage, we don’t just mechanically mix the ingredients. We form a functional granule in which the mineral base, organic matter, auxins, humic and fulvic acids, and L-amino acids must work as a single system.
The task of such fertilizer is not to stimulate the plant in the short term, but to create conditions around the root for nutrition, growth, moisture retention, and restoration of soil processes.”
The results of different categories of biostimulants cannot be mechanically summarized in one table without specifying the indicator that was measured.
Some works evaluated:
Therefore, it is more correct to talk not about the abstract question of “which biostimulant is better”, but about the suitability of a specific product for a specific task.
GREENODIN GRAY field studies demonstrate the same general pattern as international meta-analyses: positive results were obtained in the studied variants, but their magnitude depended on the crop, dose, application time, and water regime.
On corn, hybrid DKC 3623, the application of GREENODIN GRAY at a dose of 250 kg/ha provided a yield increase of 1.29 t/ha compared to the control without the corresponding application.
The experimental version also recorded:
The value of this result lies not only in the growth itself, but also in the clear indication of the crop, hybrid, dose, and control variant.
It is this level of detail that makes it possible to assess the conditions under which the result can be reproduced.
In the study, the highest garlic yield — 15.3–15.9 t/ha — was obtained in variants with a dose of 300 kg/ha when planted in the third decade of October.
The result depended not only on the fertilizer itself, but also on:
The water consumption rate was lower than in the variant without appropriate fertilizer, by 16–38 m³ per ton of product.
The estimated profitability in the best options reached 139–140%.
The maximum yield of strawberries of the Rozana Kyivska variety — 66.2 c/ha — was recorded at a dose of GREENODIN GRAY of 500 kg/ha and maintaining soil moisture at 70–80–70% RH.
This example is particularly illustrative: the maximum effect was observed not from isolated fertilizer application, but from its combination with a proper moisture regime.
Additionally, a corresponding experiment recorded a decrease in the content of copper and zinc in berries by 23–30%.
This demonstrates that the result of using complex organo-mineral systems can be evaluated not only by yield, but also by product quality indicators.
These indicators characterize specific experiments and are not a promise of automatic repetition of identical results in every farm.
Author’s note — Timur LEVDA
“We do not consider GREENODIN GRAY as a substance that should give a one-time “push” to a plant. It is an element of the soil restoration system – its structure, moisture retention, mineral balance and living activity of the rhizosphere. Yield is an important, but not the only indicator of such restoration.”
Even neighboring fields do not necessarily have the same conditions.
They may differ in:
Therefore, the geographical proximity of the fields does not mean the same soil and technological conditions.
The result can also be influenced by:
That is why a production experiment should include a control plot and, if possible, several replications.
The main conclusion of scientific generalizations and our own field research is not that biostimulants are unpredictable.
Predictability increases when a product is selected for a specific problem, specific soil, crop, development phase, and growing technology.
A biostimulant or complex fertilizer should not be purchased just because the advertisement states a certain average yield increase.
First, it is necessary to establish what factor is limiting the field’s productivity.
This could be:
Only after this can you assess whether the product’s composition and mechanism of action correspond to the real problem.
Author’s note — Timur LEVDA
“You shouldn’t impose a ready-made scheme on a natural object. First, you need to understand its condition and internal connections. Technology should not replace the natural process, but create conditions under which the soil and plants are once again able to realize their own potential.”
Before purchasing a biostimulant or a complex organo-mineral fertilizer, you should answer seven questions.
Not just “we want to increase yield”, but specifically:
You need to understand what exactly is included in the composition:
Data on vegetable crops cannot be automatically transferred to grain crops, and the results of one hybrid cannot be automatically transferred to all hybrids.
Particularly important are:
A laboratory result or a pot experiment does not guarantee similar effectiveness in the production field.
Without control, it is impossible to reliably separate the effect of the product from the effects of weather, power, and other technological operations.
The calculation should be made not based on the maximum advertising figure, but on the lower realistic limit of the expected effect.
No. Meta-analyses demonstrate a positive average effect, but at the same time show significant dependence on crop, soil and climatic conditions, and application technology.
The average is not a guarantee of results on a particular field.
Due to differences in:
According to international generalizations, a higher relative effect was more often observed:
However, this is a general statistical pattern, not a universal rule for every product.
In most cases, no.
Biostimulants mainly supplement the nutrition system or increase resource efficiency, but cannot automatically compensate for critical macronutrient deficiencies.
Complex organo-mineral fertilizers, in particular GREENODIN GRAY, must be evaluated separately – according to their composition, content of nutritional and mineral components, and recommended application technology.
Required:
The effectiveness of biostimulants is “floating” not because they are all random or ineffective.
It changes because the biostimulant becomes just one element of a complex biological and agrotechnological system.
International studies confirm an average positive effect, but at the same time demonstrate high variability in results.
GREENODIN GRAY’s own tests also show that it is not the abstract name of the product that matters most, but the right combination:
The inclusion of auxins, humic acids, fulvic acids and L-amino acids in the composition of TM GREENODIN fertilizers at the granulation stage makes it possible to form a complex functional granule.
However, even a complex granule cannot act independently of the real state of the soil and plant. Its effectiveness is revealed when the product is applied in a targeted manner, in the correct dose and as an element of a holistic technology.
Therefore, the future of the industry lies not in universal promises, but in:
Final author’s position — Timur LEVDA
“Modern agriculture must learn not only to add substances, but also to manage the living conditions of the soil.”
“A strong technology is not one that forces a plant to produce more in a short period of time. It is a technology that simultaneously supports yield, water, soil structure, microbiome, and the ability of the agroecosystem to recover.”
The presented results of GREENODIN GRAY were obtained in specific experiments, under specific soil and climatic conditions, doses and cultivation technologies.
They demonstrate the effect recorded in the relevant experimental variants, but do not guarantee obtaining identical results in other farms.
Before large-scale application, it is recommended to conduct a local production test with a control area.
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