3rd Edition Of Plant Science and Molecular Biology World Conference 2026

Abstract

Biological inputs are increasingly promoted to enhance soil function, nutrient cycling, and resilience in grassland systems, yet independent evidence under commercial conditions remains limited. In 2025, Terrafarmer Agriculture Ltd. conducted two coordinated multi-farm projects, Farming Connect and Agri Wales, to evaluate seven biological products including microbial consortia, humic substances, seaweed extracts, fish hydrolysate, molasses-based stimulants, and phage technologies. Trials were implemented across farms in Wales using randomized plot allocation, GPS-located sampling, and replicated soil, leaf, forage, and yield assessments.
Soil biological indicators responded most consistently. At Cwm Risca Farm, microbial biomass increased by 850.7 mg kg⁻¹ with Sylgen and 887.3 mg kg⁻¹ with Kelp Crofters, alongside soil respiration gains of 38 to 40 mg kg⁻¹. Sea2Soil (Fish hydrolysate) and the Combination treatment enhanced soil organic carbon stocks by 7.5 to 8.7 t ha⁻¹, while the Combination also improved calcium availability by 152 ppm. Leaf tissue responses were modest but product-specific: Biocat and Terrafed raised Fe concentrations to 216 to 233 ppm compared with 52 ppm in the control, while Agri Wales trials showed strong Mn increases up to 149 ppm in Sylgen and improved Ca and Zn uptake under Soil Point and Kelp Crofters.
Forage quality and yield responses were limited. Sylgen produced the highest crude protein at 149 g kg⁻¹, Terrafed the highest fresh yield at 12.29 t ha⁻¹, and Kelp Crofters the highest dry matter yield at 4.12 t ha⁻¹.
These findings provide rare, independent, multi-farm evidence that biological inputs rapidly influence soil microbial processes, even when yield responses are constrained by climate. Soil indicators proved more sensitive than forage metrics, underscoring their role in supporting resilience rather than directly substituting fertiliser inputs.