In December 2025, our team had the opportunity to present new research on Quillaja-based biostimulants at the Biostimulant World Congress in Barcelona. Nearly a month later, we are pleased to share the key findings from that work, which explored how natural inputs derived from Quillaja saponaria can enhance early crop development across different species.
The poster, titled “Quillaja-Based Biostimulants: Enhancing Crop Performance Through Natural Inputs”, summarized results from controlled trials in wheat, tomato, and soybean, combining agronomic evaluations with biochemical characterization of the extract.
Introduction
Focus on Quillaja saponaria
Quillaja saponaria is a tree native to Chile with a long history of use across industries. Its extract contains triterpenic saponins and presents a defined phytohormone profile. The physicochemical properties of this botanical matrix are consistent with coordinated plant responses related to growth and resilience.
Background
Modern agriculture must sustain crop performance under increasingly variable growing conditions while using inputs more efficiently.
Biostimulant Context
Plant biostimulants stimulate natural processes that improve nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and plant growth.
Objective
To characterize the endogenous phytohormone profile of a Quillaja extract (QL) and to evaluate early growth responses compared to untreated controls in wheat, tomato, and soybean.
Materials and Methods
Experimental Design
Each crop trial compared QL treatment vs untreated control under the following conditions:
Table – Crop Trials Overview
| Crop | Application & Dose | Evaluation Time | Replicates | Units | N per Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | Seed treatment, 2 mL/kg seed | 7 days | 3 | 50 seeds | 150 seeds |
| Tomato | Soil application, 1.26 L/ha | 14 days | 3 | 13 plants | 39 plants |
| Soybean | Rhizotron assay, 2 mL/kg seed | 60 days | 2 | 3 plants per rhizotron | 12 plants |
Hormone Analysis
Phytohormones were quantified using UHPLC–MS, and results are expressed in ng/mL.
Statistics
Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and t-test, with significance established at p ≤ 0.05.
Results
Phytohormone Content of Quillaja Extract
The endogenous phytohormone profile of QL was characterized by the presence of multiple hormone classes.
Table 1. Characterization of the endogenous phytohormone profile in QL
| Phytohormone Class | Active Form | Concentration (ng/mL) |
|---|---|---|
| Auxin | Indole-3-acetic acid | 45.48 |
| Gibberellin | Gibberellin 4 | 0.10 |
| Gibberellin | Gibberellin 1 | 0.17 |
| Cytokinins | Dihydrozeatin | 3.95 |
| Cytokinins | Isopenteniladenine | 25.16 |
| Cytokinins | Trans-zeatin | 4.76 |
| Jasmonic acid | Jasmonate | 317 |
| Salicylic acid | Salicylate | 10,100 |
Study carried out by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP), Valencia, Spain.
Wheat Trial
Plants treated with QL showed statistically higher root and shoot length compared to control plants.
Plants treated with QL showed statistically higher root (4.93±0.13 cm) and shoot length (1.77±0.09 cm) than control (3.68±0.16 and 1.36±0.10 cm, respectively). Emergence time demonstrated a tendency to decrease in QL, with no significant differences.
Tomato Trial
There weren’t significant differences between treatments in root length nor in plants dry weight. However, a positive trend was observed following application of QL.
Soybean Trial
Soybean seedlings’ dry weight was significantly higher when treated with QL (0.79±0.15 g), compared with the untreated plants (0.5±0.05 g). On the other hand, stem length also showed an increasing trend under QL treatment compared with control plants.
Conclusions
QL treatment exhibited biostimulant properties, leading to enhanced early growth in wheat and positive root biomass trends in tomato, while soybean showed a statistically significant increase in dry weight under the tested conditions.
These results support the use of QL as an effective stand-alone biostimulant and highlight its suitability as a functional ingredient for formulations targeting root development and early crop establishment.
References
- Malhi, G. S., Kaur, M., Kaushik, P. (2021). Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Its Mitigation Strategies: A Review. Sustainability, 13(3), 1318. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031318.
- Barua, H. J. (2022). Foliar Application of Microbial and Plant-Based Biostimulants on Plant Nutrition. En N. Ramawat & V. Bhardwaj (Eds.), Biostimulants: Exploring Sources and Applications (1.a ed., pp. i-xii). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7080-0_8.
- Fleck, J. D., Betti, A. H., da Silva, F. P., Troian, E. A., Olivaro, C., Ferreira, F., Verza, S. G. (2019). Saponins from Quillaja saponaria and Quillaja brasiliensis: Particular Chemical Characteristics and Biological Activities. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 24(1), 171.
- Moses, T., Papadopoulou, K. K., Osbourn, A. (2014). Metabolic and functional diversity of saponins, biosynthetic intermediates and semi-synthetic derivatives. Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 49(6), 439–462. https://doi.org/10.3109/10409238.2014.953628.
