The increasing demand for sustainable food production has driven a surge in the use and commercialization of biological inputs, including biofertilizers. In this context, biofertilizers offer potential benefits for nutrient use efficiency, crop yield and sustainability. However, inconsistent definition of the term “biofertilizer” and regulations, particularly in the USA, hinder market growth and consumer confidence. While the European Union, and countries like Brazil, India, and China have made progress in this area, the USA market, projected to exceed $1 billion by 2029, lacks clear guidelines for biofertilizer production and sale. The USA market is dominated by Rhizobium genus, Mycorrhizae fungi, and Azospirillum species and based products targeting various crops. Although there is a growing and promising market for the use of biofertilizers, there are still many challenges to overcome, and to fully realize the potential of biofertilizers, future research should focus on modes of action, specific claims, and robust regulations that must be established. Key points: • The term “biofertilizer” lacks a universally accepted definition • It is necessary establishing a national regulation for biofertilizers in the USA • The biofertilizer market is growing fast and the biggest one is in America

This article highlights the importance of raising soil organic matter in sandy and calcareous soils as it relates to increasing the water holding capacity of the soil. Farming in Florida on sandy soils has numerous limiting factors; one of which is it's low water holding capacity. By raising the soil organic matter content by just 1% can have a significant increase in soil water holding capacity. This would mean that soil would be able to hold more water for long durations. The prospect of increasiong water holding capacity in soils is great for agricultural productivity, and can have a significant impact on water conservation and usage.

A standardized soil health scoring system would be a beneficial tool for accessing and interpreting the status of soil health in Florida. However, because of the climate variability and diverse soil types, a soil health soring function designed in one location may not be useful for other places. In this study, we focused on developing scoring functions for Florida soil using a soil health indicator database under different land management practices across Florida. A soil health scoring index for 11 soil health indicators was calculated for 398 soil samples using comprehensive assessment of soil health (CASH), linear or nonlinear scoring function, and additive and weighted‐additive methods. Based on communality and weights of total data sets (TDS), Mehlich‐3 phosphorus (M3P) contributed the most, whereas pH contributed the least to the indices. The nonlinear scoring function had higher scores than other scoring functions. Only mixed cropping systems had significant changes in soil health indicators before and after treatment. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that OM and M3P had the highest loading values compared with other indicators. Therefore, OM and M3P need to be considered if minimum number of indicators is to be measured while examining soil health indices pertinent to Florida soil types and land management practices. Overall, the findings of this study provide a foundation for creating and enhancing soil health indices in Florida.

The addition of agricultural by-products to mineral soils has the potential to improve crop production. This study aimed to determine the effects of the readily available sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) milling by-product bagasse as a soil amendment on yields of sugarcane grown on a sandy Entisol of South Florida. The field trial was conducted on a commercial sugarcane farm for three annual crop cycles (plant cane and two ratoons). Four treatments including 5 cm bagasse (85 ton ha⁻¹); 10 cm bagasse (170 ton ha⁻¹); 10 cm bagasse (170 ton ha⁻¹) plus 336 kg ha⁻¹ ammonium nitrate; and a control (without bagasse and ammonium nitrate) were evaluated. Results indicate that one single application of bagasse increased sugarcane biomass and sugar yield by approximately 23% in the plant cane year. A higher application rate of bagasse (10 cm of bagasse) was recommended since it had a longer effect on increasing sugarcane biomass and sugar yield. Bagasse application enhanced silicon (Si) supply and increased Si plant nutrition. However, the effects of bagasse on the other leaf nutrients were not significant.