“To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to provide for a consistent definition for plant biostimulants.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises the definition of "plant regulator" under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to exclude (1) substances intended as plant nutrients, trace elements, nutritional chemicals, plant inoculants, soil amendments, or vitamin hormone products and (2) plant biostimulants of biological origin or synthetically derived but structurally and functionally identical to those of biological origin. It further expands the exclusions from the definition of "nitrogen stabilizer" to include plant biostimulants and nutritional chemicals. The section defines "plant biostimulant" as a substance, microorganism, or mixture applied to seeds, plants, soil, or growth media that supports natural plant processes independently of its nutrient content to improve nutrient use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and growth, development, quality, or yield; defines "nutritional chemical" as a substance improving plant nutrient availability or uptake (including some plant biostimulants); and defines "vitamin hormone product" as a mixture of plant hormones, nutrients, inoculants, or soil amendments. (Thus, these products generally are excluded from FIFRA pesticide registration requirements.) Finally, this section directs the EPA Administrator to revise implementing regulations within 120 days of enactment.
This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study assessing types of and practices using plant biostimulants (as defined in FIFRA section 2, as added by section 2 of this Act) that best achieve (1) increasing organic matter content, (2) reducing atmospheric volatilization, (3) promoting nutrient management practices, (4) limiting or eliminating runoff or leaching of soil or nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen into groundwater or other water sources, (5) restoring beneficial bioactivity or healthy nutrients to the soil, (6) aiding in carbon sequestration, nutrient use efficiency, and other climate-related benefits, and (7) supporting innovative approaches to improving agricultural sustainability, including adoption of performance-based outcome standards and criteria. The Secretary must make a report describing the study results publicly available and submit it to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry not later than two years after funds are first made available to conduct the study.