Across the industry, biosolutions, such as biostimulants, biologicals, and biofertilizers, are commonplace in conversations with agronomists, at retail counters, and in crop planning discussions. Interest in this category is growing fast, and for good reason. These products are earning their place in modern cropping systems by delivering real agronomic value beyond additional yield: nutrient use efficiency, stress tolerance, crop health, and improved efficacy of Integrated Pest Management programs (IPM).
What Are Biosolutions?
Biosolutions describe a broad family of science-based, nature-derived crop inputs that work with a plant’s and soil’s natural systems to enhance performance. The term is more encompassing than “biologicals” — a label widely used across the industry — because it captures the full range of tools available today, including products that are not live biology. Not all biosolutions contain living organisms, and that distinction matters both agronomically and scientifically.
In practice, biosolutions, biologicals, and biostimulants are often used interchangeably in the field. Understanding what sits under each term helps growers make more informed decisions about what they’re adding to their program and why.
Under the biosolutions umbrella, there are multiple subcategories:
Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied to seeds, plants, or the soil, stimulate the plant’s natural processes to improve nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, crop quality, and yield. Unlike biologicals in the strictest sense, biostimulants are not always living organisms. They can be extracts or proteins derived from a biological source that trigger plant responses and enhance performance. (The USDA formally defined biostimulants under the Plant Biostimulants Act of 2023, reflecting just how mainstream this category has become.)
Biopesticides are products derived from living organisms that help prevent, repel, or manage pests and pathogens without the residue profile or resistance risk of many synthetic chemistries. Those that contain living organisms as active ingredients can have specific storage, handling, and application requirements that are critical to their efficacy.
Biofertilizers are naturally derived substances that include non-synthetic components such as bio-derived nutrients in the form of amino acids, organic carbon, lipids, and fatty acids. While some direct nutrient value is often provided, the main benefit comes from providing a food source to the native soil microbes to enhance their activity for improved soil health and nutrient cycling or availability.
Alternative fertilizers take a different approach to nutrient delivery — using encapsulation or other precision technologies to get mineral fertilizers to the plant more efficiently than conventional application methods allow. Tidal Grow® alignN® is an example of this approach: an encapsulated urea nitrogen that delivers N directly on and into the leaf, bypassing soil variability and getting nitrogen precisely where the crop needs it most.
Biologicals is a broad industry term commonly used by growers and agronomists to describe crop inputs derived from or inspired by living systems. The category includes live microbial products and is often used interchangeably with biostimulants and biofertilizers in everyday conversation. The most common application is introducing foreign microbial species and living microorganisms that fix atmospheric nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus, or otherwise make nutrients in the soil more available to the plant, keeping them accessible for longer than synthetic fertilizers alone.
When growers and agronomists use the word “biologicals,” they’re typically referencing this full family of biosolutions — products designed to work with the biology of the plant and soil rather than around it.
What’s Driving Biosolution Adoption on the Farm?
Biosolutions are one of the fastest-growing segments in agriculture, due to regulatory pressures and social demands for regenerative farming practices.
High fertility input costs and tough commodity prices have growers rethinking how they manage fertility, crop protection, and soil health. Biosolutions may offer a compelling way to be more efficient to do more with less and reduce the risk of wasted input dollars.
The market reflects this momentum. The global biostimulants market, valued at roughly $4.5 billion in 2025, is projected to grow at nearly 10% annually through 2031, driven by rising demand for sustainable crop solutions and demonstrated links between biostimulants and yield stability.
How Do Biostimulants Actually Work?
Biostimulants work by activating and amplifying the plant’s and soil’s natural processes rather than replacing them. They deliver value by:
Stimulating the soil microbiome. Healthy soil is a living system: a dense community of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that unlock nutrients, cycle organic matter, and support root development. Soil bacteria work like microscopic engines, breaking down insoluble nutrients and ions into plant-available forms.
Improving nutrient uptake efficiency. One of the most well-documented benefits of biostimulants is their ability to help crops take up nutrients more effectively. Even a well-fertilized field can fall short of its yield potential if the plant can’t fully access the nutrients available to it. Biostimulants can improve root architecture, increase root surface area available for nutrient absorption, and enhance the plant’s internal nutrient translocation, getting more value from every dollar invested in fertility. Tidal Grow® Spectra™ and, in Canada, Tidal Grow® Chroma support this by activating the crop’s natural immune system and improving the efficacy of other active ingredients already in the program.
Building stress tolerance. Crops face stress from every direction: drought, heat, flooding, disease pressure, and soil variability. Biostimulants can trigger a plant’s internal defense systems, helping it build protective compounds, stabilize cellular functions, and maintain growth even when conditions turn against it. This is particularly relevant across the Midwest and Great Plains, where weather unpredictability is a constant reality.
Supporting early-season establishment. For seed treatment applications, biostimulants interact with the seed’s surface and the surrounding soil microbiome to accelerate germination, improve stand uniformity, and build root mass from day one. A stronger start translates to more consistent performance across the entire season.
Where Do Biostimulants Fit in Your Program?
Biostimulants work best as complements to an existing fertility and crop protection program. Synthetic fertilizers supply the raw materials; biologicals help the crop use those materials more efficiently. The two are synergistic. Biologicals are most effective on highly managed acres where most other limiting factors have been addressed. Layered onto a strong agronomic base, they can unlock real, measurable gains.
Here’s how our products fit can into your current practices:
Foliar, in-season. Foliar, in-season. Tidal Grow® Spectra™ adds to existing IPM programs to improve the efficacy of other actives, drive immune response, and support suppression of pests and pathogens. As well, enhanced nematode control can be achieved especially when mixing with existing nematicide programs.
In Canada, Tidal Grow® Chroma adds to existing crop input programs to improve the efficacy of other active ingredients and drive immune response through the same chitosan-based mechanism. Both fit in well with existing herbicide and fungicide passes, reducing logistics burden.
How Can Alternative Fertilizers Fit Into an Existing Program?
In-season nitrogen. Tidal Grow® alignN® delivers encapsulated urea nitrogen directly on and into the leaf during critical growth stages, bypassing soil variability and getting nitrogen precisely where the crop needs it most. It rides along with existing herbicide and fungicide passes, making it easy to integrate without adding extra trips across the field.
Grounded in Science. Proven in the Field.
Biologicals, biostimulants, and alternative fertlizers have moved well beyond early-adopter territory. Growers across the country are integrating these tools into their programs and seeing the difference in plant health, nutrient efficiency, and yield.
That’s exactly the standard we hold our products to at Tidal Grow® AgriScience: grounded in the science of soil health, plant nutrition, and crop protection, and designed to work with your existing program to protect your investment season after season.
Ready to learn more about how biosolutions can strengthen your crop program? Connect with a Tidal Grow® AgriScience expert today.
