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Biostimulants: Science, Benefits, and Practical Applications
October, 2025, Bio Cycle Labs
How processed slurry can become a natural source of growth enhancers for sustainable farming.
What Are Biostimulants? Biostimulants are natural substances or microorganisms that enhance plant growth, resilience, and nutrient use efficiency - without directly supplying nutrients like fertilisers do.
They act as biological catalysts, stimulating the plant’s natural processes to improve productivity, soil structure, and stress tolerance.
They act as biological catalysts, stimulating the plant’s natural processes to improve productivity, soil structure, and stress tolerance.
- While traditional fertilisers feed the plant, biostimulants activate the system that helps it feed itself better. They can come from various sources - seaweed extracts, humic acids, beneficial bacteria, or even organic compounds recovered from livestock manure and wastewater.
The Science Behind Biostimulants
At the core of biostimulant action lies biochemistry and microbiology. These compounds influence both the rhizosphere (the soil area surrounding roots) and the plant’s physiological processes.
Some of the key mechanisms include:
At the core of biostimulant action lies biochemistry and microbiology. These compounds influence both the rhizosphere (the soil area surrounding roots) and the plant’s physiological processes.
Some of the key mechanisms include:
- Microbial activation: Beneficial microbes break down complex organic molecules, releasing plant-available nutrients and improving soil fertility.
- Root stimulation: Amino acids and peptides trigger root growth, increasing nutrient and water uptake.
- Stress resistance: Certain bioactive molecules boost plants’ tolerance to drought, salinity, and temperature extremes.
- Nutrient efficiency: Humic and fulvic acids improve cation exchange and nutrient mobility, helping plants make better use of what’s already in the soil.
From Slurry to Biostimulants: Turning Waste Into Growth
At BioCycle Labs, we turn a major environmental challenge - livestock slurry and wastewater - into a regenerative opportunity. Through our Agri-RENEW modular systems, slurry undergoes a biological and physical transformation that separates water, nutrients, and organic compounds. One of the valuable outputs is a biostimulant-rich fraction containing amino acids, organic carbon, and naturally occurring growth-promoting compounds.
This fraction can be:
At BioCycle Labs, we turn a major environmental challenge - livestock slurry and wastewater - into a regenerative opportunity. Through our Agri-RENEW modular systems, slurry undergoes a biological and physical transformation that separates water, nutrients, and organic compounds. One of the valuable outputs is a biostimulant-rich fraction containing amino acids, organic carbon, and naturally occurring growth-promoting compounds.
This fraction can be:
- Used directly as a liquid soil enhancer,
- Blended into biofertiliser formulations, or
- Further refined into custom biostimulant products tailored to different crop needs.
Key Benefits for Farmers
EU agricultural policy increasingly supports circular and organic nutrient management. On-site biostimulant production helps farmers comply with sustainability goals.
- Higher yields and healthier crops.
- Biostimulants support stronger root systems, better nutrient uptake, and greater resistance to stress, leading to improved harvests.
- Improved soil health.
- They promote microbial biodiversity, enhance soil structure, and increase organic matter - the foundation of long-term fertility.
- Reduced fertiliser dependency.
- By improving nutrient efficiency, farmers can reduce synthetic fertiliser use by 15-25% while maintaining productivity.
- Sustainable waste management.
- Converting slurry into biostimulants cuts disposal costs and transforms farm waste into a marketable resource.
EU agricultural policy increasingly supports circular and organic nutrient management. On-site biostimulant production helps farmers comply with sustainability goals.
The Future of Biostimulants in European Agriculture
The biostimulant sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of agri-tech, expected to reach €5 billion globally by 2030. In the Netherlands and across Europe, biostimulants are seen as key enablers for the Green Deal, Farm-to-Fork, and water reuse directives. As soils degrade and fertiliser costs remain high, biostimulants will become central to the future of resilient food systems - combining science, sustainability, and profitability.
At BioCycle Labs, innovation starts where technology meets biology. Our mission is to close the nutrient cycle through modular systems that recover water, fertilisers, and biostimulants directly at the source - helping farmers build regenerative, self-sufficient farms.
By turning slurry into value, we empower agriculture to grow not only more, but better.
The biostimulant sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of agri-tech, expected to reach €5 billion globally by 2030. In the Netherlands and across Europe, biostimulants are seen as key enablers for the Green Deal, Farm-to-Fork, and water reuse directives. As soils degrade and fertiliser costs remain high, biostimulants will become central to the future of resilient food systems - combining science, sustainability, and profitability.
At BioCycle Labs, innovation starts where technology meets biology. Our mission is to close the nutrient cycle through modular systems that recover water, fertilisers, and biostimulants directly at the source - helping farmers build regenerative, self-sufficient farms.
By turning slurry into value, we empower agriculture to grow not only more, but better.