In New York, Cornell researchers have shown multiple benefits to plant growth and nutrition when they investigated the effect of soy flour, a plant-derived biostimulant, on coated broccoli seed. Results showed enhanced plant growth and development through measurements of biomass, plant height, leaf area, leaf development, and chlorophyll content. Soy flour-coated seeds had greater seedling root and shoot growth compared with the noncoated control, and soy flour applied at 30%, 40%, and 50% in the coating formulation increased the total nitrogen per plant compared with the noncoated control.
Masoume Amirkhani, corresponding author of the study said, “This biostimulant is a natural plant material and could be adopted for organic crop production, and may also reduce the need for high levels of nitrogen fertilizer, as the biostimulant can enhance nitrogen uptake efficiency. An added advantage of soy flour is that it is inexpensive and commercially available in most parts of the world.”