Organic manure supplies nutrients, improves soil conditions and also exhibits bioactivity, ie stimulating effects in plants. Effects such as growth enhancement and plant nutrient status improvement comes justifying the increasing commercialization of organic-based biostimulants and fertilizers. In this work, bioactivity is discussed focusing on the physiology of vegetables. The available literature confirms such physiological actions, particularly in the growth of roots and nutrient uptake increase. However, research approaches have been more focused on the basic aspects of fractions isolated in laboratory, which does not necessarily represent the reality of the natural organic matter in soil and its bioactivity. On the other hand, little is known on the mechanism of action of commercial products, which have been used in the field. Therefore, it is important that research initiatives also include aspects such as: (1) indicating the most promising sources for the extraction of organic matter, (2) both simplified methods of' extraction of organic matter fractions as for the evaluation of their bioactivity and (3) field experiments evaluating crops productivity associated to the possible mechanism of action. The judicious use of new technologies to increase the efficiency of fertilization of soils in growing vegetables areas is important both from an economic as environmental sense.
auximone; growth regulator; humus; nutrients; phytormones