Microbial biostimulants that promote plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance are promising alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Although Trichoderma fungi are known biocontrol agents, their biostimulatory potential has been scarcely studied in field conditions. Here, the mixture of two endophytic Trichoderma strains (Trichoderma afroharzianum TR04 and Trichoderma simmonsii TR05) was tested as biostimulant in the form of foliar spray on young (BBCH 15-16) maize (5.7 ha) and sunflower (5.7 and 11.3 ha) fields in Hungary. The stimulatory effect was characterized by changes in plant height, the number of viable leaves, and the chlorophyll content, combined with yield sensor collected harvest data. In all trials, the foliar treatment with Trichoderma spores increased photosynthetic potential: the number of viable leaves increased by up to 6.7% and the SPAD index by up to 19.1% relative to the control. In extreme drought conditions, maize yield was doubled (from 0.587 to 1.62 t/ha, p < 0.001). The moisture content of the harvested seeds, as well as sunflower height, consistently increased post-treatment. We concluded that foliar spraying of young plants with well-selected endophytic Trichoderma strains can stimulate growth, photosynthesis, and drought tolerance in both monocot maize and dicots sunflower crops in field conditions.

This study evaluates the economic and agronomic performance of precision maize production under drought-stressed conditions using farm-level operational data from Hungary. A 2024 paired-field case study compared a conventionally managed field (46.65 ha) with a precision-managed field (67.61 ha) using variable-rate fertilization and seeding. Data collected via the John Deere Operations Center enabled 10 × 10 m spatial analysis. Results indicate that despite severe moisture limitations, the precision-managed field achieved a 3.85% higher mean yield (6.47 t ha⁻¹) than the conventional system (6.23 t ha⁻¹). The observed economic advantage was associated with a 5.58% reduction in total production costs through site-specific resource allocation. Consequently, net profit increased by 62.98%, rising from 168.95 USD ha⁻¹ to 275.36 USD ha⁻¹. Spatial analysis demonstrated that precision management synchronized economic outputs with inherent site potential, with management zones accounting for 70.70% of profit variance, compared to 53.3% in the conventional field. Regression models confirmed a tighter alignment between NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and profitability in the precision system. These findings suggest that under spatial heterogeneity and climatic stress, precision agriculture enhances economic resilience by mitigating inefficient expenditures, providing a strategic buffer against input costs and climate volatility.