This project aims to reduce water and fertilizer use in horticulture by using biostimulants and innovative tools. This combination will result in up to 20% reduction of water and 10% of fertilizers, depending on the crop. By including BS based on seaweeds, economic opportunities for seaweed producers will be created. Innovative sensors allow growers to monitor plant responses to reduced water supply and to adjust irrigation accordingly. Analytic tools allow users to determine water and nutrient use efficiency. This project will result in pilot data on biostimulants, generate innovative tools and demonstrate them to support growers, producers of biostimulants and suppliers of substrates & fertilizers. The multi-stakeholder approach permits a successful realization of project objectives since expertise of all partners is complementary, ensuring a broad dissemination. A policy protocol will be presented to policy makers to help implement the new European legislation on biostimulants.

• Feasibility study and market research for producers of seaweed and biostimulants and policy makers
• Pilot data on different crops including fruits, ornamentals and vegetables for growers, industry, stakeholders, policy makers, NGO’s and sector organisations
• Best available (and affordable) sensor tools to measure in situ plant responses to reduced water and fertilizer gift for growers and researchers
• A database and webapp on efficient biostimulants and their effects on horticultural plants for growers, resaechers and suppliers of horticultural and agricultural products
• Protocol for policy makers on how to measure the impact of biostimulants on fertilizer and water use efficiency and how to save water and fertilizers in horticulture.

A cross-border approach for this project is necessary for the following reasons:
• to increase the impact of the results on the eutrophication of the North Sea, we need to reduce N and P fertilizer leaching in all countries linked to the North Sea including Belgium, France, UK and The Netherlands by using biostimulants and sensors
• to implement and disseminate the results on a larger scale, we need a consistent approach in assessment and demonstration of the performance of these products
• it will enable exchanges of key information on important products among different countries
• to reach critical mass (growers, policy makers, seed producers, substrate producers, fertilizer producers), dissemination and communication can permeate the entire project in all involved countries
• the project partners have complementary knowledge (eg on the use of different biostimulants) which is required to jointly develop the best technological solution for different territorial challenges.