Plant Biostimulant Act of 2025
The Plant Biostimulant Act of 2025 would rewrite how plant biostimulants are defined and regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The bill creates a formal definition of “plant biostimulants” as substances, microorganisms, or mixtures that, when applied to seeds, plants, the rhizosphere, soil, or other growth media, support a plant’s natural processes independent of nutrient content and improve nutrient availability/use, abiotic stress tolerance, and growth, development, quality, or yield. It also clarifies exclusions (e.g., certain nutrients, inoculants, soil amendments, or vitamin hormone products) and introduces related definitions for “plant regulator,” “nutritional chemical,” and “vitamin hormone product.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be required to revise regulations within 120 days to implement these amendments. Separately, the act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a soil health study to identify how plant biostimulants best achieve environmental and sustainability goals, with a public report due within two years of funding.
Key Points
- 1Defines “plant biostimulant” as a substance, microorganism, or mixture that, when applied to seeds/plants/soil or growth media, supports plant natural processes independent of nutrient content and improves nutrient availability, abiotic stress tolerance, and growth/quality/yield.
- 2Adds and clarifies related terms:
- 3- “Plant Regulator” (with specific exclusions for nutrients, inoculants, soil amendments, vitamin hormone products, etc.)
- 4- “Nutritional Chemical” (substances that interact with plant nutrients to improve availability or uptake; includes some plant biostimulants)
- 5- “Vitamin Hormone Product” (a mixture involving plant hormones, nutrients, inoculants, or soil amendments)
- 6Establishes exclusions to prevent misclassification, notably excluding certain nutrients and explicitly excluding some plant biostimulants that are of biological origin or that are chemically derived but structurally similar to biologically derived substances.
- 7Requires the EPA Administrator to revise regulations under FIFRA within 120 days of enactment to implement the new definitions.
- 8Requires a Soil Health Study conducted by the Secretary of Agriculture to identify which plant biostimulant types and practices best achieve goals such as increasing organic matter, reducing volatilization, improving nutrient management, reducing runoff/leaching, restoring soil bioactivity, and supporting carbon sequestration and climate-related benefits; results must be publicly released and shared with Congress within two years after funding.