Zaxinone mimics boost growth and productivity of wheat under normal and low-nutrient regimes

The increasing demand for sustainable agriculture requires innovative strategies to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers without compromising crop growth and productivity. Plant-derived biostimulants are among the transformative strategies for enhancing nutrient use efficiency, crop resilience and productivity across diverse ecosystems. Therefore, this study investigated the potential of two novel naturally-inspired growth stimulants, MiZax3 and MiZax5, to enhance wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and yield under reduced NPK fertilizer across multiple growth systems, including hydroponic, greenhouse, and field conditions.

In hydroponic systems, application of MiZax3 and MiZax5 at 5 µM with 50% NPK significantly improved root length, crown root development, and fresh and dry plant biomass, achieving performance comparable to full NPK fertilization. Greenhouse trials further revealed that MiZax3 and MiZax5 with 50% NPK remarkably increased growth and yield attributes, often surpassing 100% NPK fertilization. Notably, the number of grains spike^- 1 and grain weight were increased by 25-34% and 36-45%, respectively, compared with full fertilization. Field experiments validated these findings, MiZax3 and MiZax5 with 50% NPK treatments promoting vegetative growth, enhancing photosynthetic performance, and increasing grain yield by 8-11% over full-strength NPK alone. Moreover, metabolite profiling revealed that MiZax application boosts carbon and nitrogen assimilation associated with increasing free sugars and growth-related amino acids. When applied with 50% NPK, MiZax further amplified sugar availability and amino acid accumulation while modulating central carbon metabolism, demonstrating synergistic enhancement of metabolic efficiency.

Collectively, these findings demonstrate that MiZax functions both independently and integrated with reduced fertilization to optimize metabolic allocation toward growth-supporting pathways and nutrient-use efficiency, highlighting their potential as sustainable biostimulants.