Can biostimulants be used to mitigate the effect of anthropogenic climate change on agriculture? It is time to respond

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2021-01, Vol.751, p.141763-141763, Article 141763
• Main Author: Del Buono, Daniele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic climate change; Cropping systems; Drought; Plant biostimulants; Salinity
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141763

Anthropogenic climate change, namely climate alterations induced by human activities, is causing some issues to agricultural systems for their vulnerability to extreme events. Forecasts predict a global population increase in the near years that will exacerbate this situation, elevating the global demand for food. It will pose severe concerns in terms of natural resource usage and availability. Agriculture is one of the anthropogenic activities that will be more affected in the future. Climate extremes menace to affect the quantity and quality of crop production severely. Drought, water and soil salinity are considered among the most problematic factors that anthropogenic climate change will increase. This complex and worrying scenario requires the urgent implementation of sustainable measures which are capable of improving crop yield and quality, fostering the robustness and resilience of cropping systems. Among the more current methodology, the use of natural plant biostimulants (PBs) has been proposed to improve plant resistance to abiotic environmental stresses. The advantage of using these substances is due to their effectiveness in improving crop productivity and quality. Therefore, in this review, the most recent researches dealing with the use of natural PBs for improving plant resistance to drought and salinity, in an anthropogenic climate change scenario, have been reported and critically discussed. [Display omitted] •Climate change will hard test agricultural systems more and more in the near future.•Drought and salt stress cause considerable losses in crop production.•Sustainable and cogent measures are needed to improve the stability of agriculture.•Natural plant biostimulants improve crop productivity under environmental stress.