Biostimulants: an eco-friendly regulator of plant stress tolerance and sustainable solution to future agriculture

Biostimulants mediated direct or indirect regulation of plant response to environmental cues including drought have been extensively studied in various crop plants for several decades. However, there is scarce information available on the mechanism that regulates plant development and yield under different stressors such as drought, salinity, elevated temperature, radiation, heavy metal toxicity, and pathogens. Thus, biostimulants could open great opportunities for the researcher to develop climate resilience and sustainable agriculture technology for crop growers and small stakeholders. Plant biostimulants are organisms or their products or organic or inorganic compounds that improve the plant's health or agronomic performance (yield stability and productivity) by providing a nutrient-rich environment and protection from adverse environmental factors. This review article accentuates information about biostimulants that enhance plant morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular intrinsic development signals, and ameliorate plant's stress tolerance. Therefore, this review might provide tangible outcomes for biostimulants mediated balancing of agronomic traits and yield in crop plants.