By Amy Burton, Senior Director of Product Development – Verdesian Life Sciences, and Dave Schwarts, VP of Strategic Retail – Verdesian Life Sciences
16 May 2026, London: The term “biologicals” may sound flashy, but the concept has been around for thousands of years. As early as 10,000 B.C., growers were using naturally-derived products such as compost, manure, and plant extracts to protect crops, enhance soil quality, and improve overall plant health—and agriculturists have only continued to build on these innovative technologies.
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Today’s growers are facing new and heightened challenges, such as extreme weather, severe water and labor shortages, skyrocketing production costs, and soil degradation. To better overcome these obstacles and meet demands for more sustainable farming practices, many growers are turning to biocontrols, biofertilizers, and biostimulants. The potential payoffs of these technologies are vast and compelling, especially when it comes to nutrient management; yet, despite centuries of field-tested results, the industry remains divided. So, are biologicals turning a new leaf in the current climate?
The Seeds of Success: NUE = Positive ROI
When they were first introduced to the market, retailers trialed biologicals on limited acres, waiting to see whether results justified broader adoption. This initial skepticism is understandable; agriculture has seen its share of flash-in-the-pan products promising dramatic results, many of which never come to fruition. Yet in recent conversations with growers and agronomists, the tone around biological inputs sounds noticeably different. Though biologicals have long lived on the edge of fertility programs, we’re finally seeing growers put them at the center of their strategies.
What was once general curiosity has become a specific emphasis on efficiency: growers increasingly want to know whether these tools can truly help crops use nutrients more efficiently, protect fertilizer investments, and deliver consistent performance in real farming systems. Due to varying soils, weather patterns, and crop systems, consistent results are hard to come by for growers—but at the end of the day, and for all crops, Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) leads to positive ROI.
For growers looking to future-proof their fields, this interest in NUE translates directly to investment. Fertility programs represent one of the largest costs growers make each season, and when margins tighten and input prices fluctuate, each nutrient applied must work harder. Technologies that improve NUE (i.e., how nutrients move through the soil and into the plant) are receiving greater attention, and this is where biological technologies are beginning to take on a clearer, more practical role.
Nutrition From the Ground Up
Many agricultural soils already contain significant nutrient reserves, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. At the same time, studies suggest crops use only about half of the nitrogen available in a given season, with the remainder lost through leaching, volatilization, or denitrification. This imbalance highlights the opportunity to improve nutrient management within the soil-plant system.
Certain biological processes can influence how nutrients move through the soil, helping mobilize or recycle nutrients so they become available during critical stages of crop development. For example, some biological mechanisms can help release phosphorus bound in soil or support nitrogen cycling processes that make nutrients more available to plants. When that happens, growers can better utilize the nutrients already present in the field while protecting their fertilizer investment.
Consider growers managing two similar fields – one treated with a biological product and one untreated. In the untreated field, a portion of nutrients remains tied up in the soil, limiting how much the crop can actually use. In the treated field, the biological helps unlock nutrients already present in the soil and improves how efficiently the plant uses what’s applied.
The science behind these interactions is complex, which is why biologicals have faced skepticism as a proposed solution. Soil contains billions of microorganisms interacting with plant roots, organic matter, and mineral nutrients. Introducing biological products into that environment means asking them to function within ecosystems that vary widely from field to field and season to season.
Nourished Fields Get Better Yields
There is also an environmental dimension to this conversation. NUE is closely tied to outcomes such as nitrogen movement in agricultural watersheds, and farmers are already adopting practices such as cover crops, reduced tillage, and improved nutrient timing to address these challenges. Biological technologies may complement these efforts by improving nutrient cycling in the soil before it’s lost from the system.
From where I sit, biologicals are likely to achieve widespread adoption only when they align with more than sustainability goals. The future of biologicals will ultimately depend on trial results and performance, not on promise. As always, products that deliver consistent agronomic results and measurable economic value will earn their place in fertility programs. And when it comes to NUE, the proof is in the plant.
Global Agriculture is an independent international media platform covering agri-business, policy, technology, and sustainability. For editorial collaborations, thought leadership, and strategic communications, write to pr@global-agriculture.com
