AAPFCO Biostimulant List
Created in partnership with

Association of American Plant Food Control Officials

AAPFCO Biostimulant List

The plant biostimulants we recognize, together with their permissible labeling claims — offered as a shared communication tool between our member control officials and industry. These records currently cover the microorganisms we have recognized, and we add further categories as the underlying data is finalized.

Biostimulants
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Functional categories
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Function
A–Z

Biostimulant Function

Methodology & how to read this database

Names & synonymy

Each accepted biostimulant name is listed on its own. Names shown under also known as are recognized synonyms; searching or clicking any synonym opens it. All names are equal — none is treated as primary over its synonyms.

Functional categories

Function tags are derived directly from the wording of each biostimulant’s accepted claim(s) using explicit, published rules — they are not independent assessments. A biostimulant with no specific functional wording is categorized as General beneficial, reflecting the default acceptable claim “beneficial to plants and/or soils.”

Claims are not verbatim

“Accepted claim(s)” describe the general intent of permissible label language, not required wording. Label claims may vary provided they adhere to that intent. This list is advisory and non-binding; registration decisions rest with each state control official.

Scope & intent of this list

This list is intended to specifically identify microorganisms considered to be ‘plant biostimulants’ and to provide accurate identification and permissible labeling claims. This is a communication tool between state control officials and industry and is not an exhaustive list of all microorganisms “allowable” in fertilizers or beneficial substances. Omission of a microbe from this list should not be used as the sole basis for denying registration.

The presence of a “pesticidal property” of a microorganism does not indicate that it must be regulated as a pesticide in the absence of pesticidal claims; products should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to their claims, intended use, and supporting data. Similarly, low-risk (Risk Group 1) potential pathogens that pose little to no risk for healthy individuals should also be evaluated on a similar case-by-case basis. While these microorganisms may not be considered plant biostimulants, they may prove to be acceptable as general beneficial substances.