Youssef Rouphael is an Associate Professor at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He is Editor-in-Chief of Agronomy MDPI and has been a guest editor on biostimulants in several International Journals (Scientia Horticulturae, Frontiers in Plant Science and Agronomy MDPI). He is a member of the scientific committee of Biostimulant.com. He is internationally-known for his research in horticultural science.Giuseppe Colla is Professor of Vegetable Production, Floriculture and Greenhouse Crop Management at the University of Tuscia, Italy. A member of the editorial boards of several leading journals in horticultural science, Professor Colla has an international reputation for his work on plant nutrition and plant biostimulants. He has coordinated many projects to improve horticultural production.Surendra Dara is the Entomology and Biologicals Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension. He has nearly 25 years of experience in IPM and microbial control, working on 17 species of invasive pests and diseases and several endemic species throughout his career. He has authored/co-authored more than 390 scientific and extension articles, which include three co-edited books, four co-edited special issues of journals, 19 book chapters, and 50 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is currently serving on various committees or holding offices at the University of California, Entomological Society of America, and the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists. He publishes two eJournals and is a Subject Editor for the Journal of Economic Entomology.

• Chapter 1 - Designing and formulating microbial and non-microbial biostimulants: Paolo Bonini, NGAlab, Spain; Veronica Cirino, Atens Agrotecnologias Naturales S.L., Spain; Helene Reynaud, Italpollina USA, USA; Youssef Rouphael, University of Naples Federico II, Italy; Mariateresa Cardarelli, CREA, Centro di ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo, Italy; and Giuseppe Colla, University of Tuscia, Italy; 1 Introduction 2 The biostimulant development process 3 Industrial case study 1: mycorrhizal inoculants 4 Industrial case study 2: vegetal-based protein hydrolysates 5 Future trends 6 ReferencesChapter taken from: Rouphael, Y., du Jardin, P., Brown, P., De Pascale, S. and Colla, G. (eds.), Biostimulants for sustainable crop production, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2020, (ISBN 978 1 78676 336 5)Chapter 2 - Humic substances (HS) as plant biostimulants in agriculture: Andrea Ertani, Università degli Studi di Padova and Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy; and Michela Schiavon and Serenella Nardi, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy; 1 Introduction 2 Production and characteristics of humic substances 3 Humic substances and plant nutrition 4 Effects of humic substances on soil 5 Biological activities of humic substances 6 Commercial humates in agriculture 7 Conclusions 8 ReferencesChapter taken from: Rouphael, Y., du Jardin, P., Brown, P., De Pascale, S. and Colla, G. (eds.), Biostimulants for sustainable crop production, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2020, (ISBN 978 1 78676 336 5)Chapter 3 - Bio-effectors to optimize the mineral nutrition of crop plants: Markus Weinmann and Günter Neumann, University Hohenheim, Germany; 1 Introduction 2 Defining ‘bio-effectors’ and other key terms 3 Bacillus species 4 Pseudomonas species 5 Trichoderma species 6 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi 7 Synergies between bio-effectors 8 Improving bio-effector functionality 9 Case study: the BioFector Project 10 Conclusions 11 Where to look for further information 12 ReferencesChapter taken from: Rengel, Z. (ed.), Achieving sustainable crop nutrition, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2020, (ISBN 978 1 78676 312 9)Chapter 4 - The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to improve root function and crop nutrient use efficiency: Melissa M. Larrabee and Louise M. Nelson, University of British Columbia, Canada; 1 Introduction 2 The effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on root function 3 The effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on plant mineral nutrition 4 Future trends in research 5 Conclusion 6 Where to look for further information 7 ReferencesChapter taken from: Gregory, P. J. (ed.), Understanding and improving crop root function, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2021, (ISBN 978 1 78676 360 0)Chapter 5 - Advances in biostimulants as an integrated pest management tool in horticulture: Surendra K. Dara, University of California Cooperative Extension, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Integrated pest management 3 Enhancement of crop growth, health and yield 4 Enhancement of soil health 5 Inducing natural resistance 6 Suppression of diseases 7 Suppression of arthropod pests 8 Tolerance to abiotic stresses 9 Multitrophic interactions and influencing factors 10 Strategies of using biostimulants 11 Challenges and future needs 12 Conclusion 13 Where to look for further information 14 ReferencesChapter taken from: Collier, R. (ed.), Improving integrated pest management in horticulture, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2022, (ISBN 978 1 78676 753 0)