Biostimulants and possibilities of their usage in grassland

Currently, in addition to a wide range of lawn fertilizers on the market, there are new biological products available called biostimulants, fostering plant growth and development. They are based on substances of natural origin, containing plant extracts, hormones or humic substances. Biostimulants exert a positive impact on grass metabolism, stimulating life processes and reducing negative effects of pathogen infestation and adverse environmental conditions like drought, salinity or temperature fluctuations. Disparities and the lack of a uniform position to recognize biostimulants as a strictly specified group pose many problems in legislative issues, with erroneous terminology used in relation to different groups of bioactive substances applied to crops. All this creates a situation when products of untested and unstable effects are placed on the market, even if they sometimes do not have any impact on plant growth despite the claims of the producer. Growth-promoting potential of biostimulants is very significant, and previous research has shown real benefits of their use. Increasing environmental awareness and environmental regulations is an additional factor positively affecting the development of such products. However, there is still a lack of studies that would fully characterize the reaction of plant metabolic processes to biostimulants. The aim of the study was to review current knowledge of plant biostimulant usage in grassland.