Summary
This narrative review examines how carbohydrate-based biostimulants interact with plant roots to enhance growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and stress resilience in sustainable agricultural systems. The authors synthesise evidence on the perception and signalling mechanisms by which polysaccharides and oligosaccharides are recognised by root receptors, leading to downstream effects on antioxidant defences and hormone homeostasis. The review identifies key knowledge gaps regarding fully elucidated receptor identification and the role of biostimulant chemical structure in determining effectiveness.
Regional applicability
This mechanistic review is not geographically bound and would be applicable to understanding biostimulant strategies across UK farming systems, particularly as interest in reduced-input, ecologically sustainable agriculture grows. The findings are relevant to UK organic and conventional systems seeking to enhance nutrient efficiency and stress tolerance without synthetic inputs.
Key measures
Plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, root development, nutrient uptake, antioxidant defences, hormonal pathways (particularly auxin), receptor-mediated recognition of polysaccharides, biostimulant chemical modifications
Outcomes reported
The review synthesises current research on how polysaccharide-based biostimulants interact with plant roots, focusing on the perception mechanisms and signalling cascades that lead to enhanced root growth, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance. It examines how structural properties (depolymerisation, acetylation, methylation, sulfation, oxidation) and receptor recognition influence biostimulant effectiveness.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Ask about this record, its theme or its relevance to UK farming and policy. Pulse AI uses selected catalogue evidence and cites the sources it draws on.