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From Lab to Field: Biofertilizers in the 21st Century
Summary
This review examines the development and commercialization of biofertilizers, which contain beneficial microorganisms that help plants absorb essential nutrients. Researchers identified key challenges including scaling from lab to field, improving encapsulation and delivery systems, and navigating inconsistent international regulations. The study highlights biofertilizers as promising eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers for more sustainable agriculture.
Nowadays, legal regulations and social environmental concerns are converging towards the promotion of more sustainable agriculture based on organic compounds and soil preservation. These trends are fuelling the growth of the biofertilizers, which are beneficial preparations containing microorganisms able to enhance a plant’s ability to uptake essential nutrients. Their production and commercialization encompass a multitude of critical steps deeply reviewed in this manuscript through an exhaustive overview of the key stages, such as microorganism selection, new environmental sources, upscaling to field trials, encapsulation, current application systems and regulatory considerations. However, although the economical expectations are promising, several methodological, environmental, and legal concerns are undermining their advancement. The redefinition of international legal frameworks, their enhancement based on trending technologies, and the fostering of multidisciplinary collaboration across sectors are key players to promote biofertilizers as eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives to chemical fertilizers.
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