As the challenge of saline-alkali soil continues to threaten agricultural productivity worldwide, integrated biostimulant technologies are emerging as one of the most effective solutions for saline-alkali soil remediation, restoring degraded farmland, and recovering long-term soil productivity.

Recently, the saline-alkali soil remediation technology developed by Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group received both national and provincial awards in China, earning recognition from authoritative institutions at the highest levels.

This achievement highlights the growing importance of marine-derived biostimulants and beneficial microorganisms in improving saline-alkali soil health, reducing salt stress, enhancing nutrient availability, and increasing crop yields in saline-alkali soils.

Saline-Alkali Soil: A Major Challenge to Global Agriculture

According to the FAO, more than 1.4 billion hectares of land worldwide are affected by salinization and alkalization.

Saline-alkali soils create a range of serious problems for crop production, including:

• Low seed germination rates and poor crop establishment 

• Nutrient imbalance and reduced fertilizer efficiency 

• Soil compaction and poor aggregate structure 

• Declining microbial activity in the rhizosphere 

• Low and unstable crop yields 

  
  

This challenge is particularly severe in arid and semi-arid regions, as well as in coastal agricultural areas, where saline-alkali soil degradation has become a major threat to global food security.

Seawin’s Core Saline-Alkali Soil Improvement Technologies Receive National Recognition

The two award-winning achievements represent the culmination of Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group’s long-term commitment to saline-alkali soil improvement and saline-alkali soil remediation.

1. Key Technologies and Integrated Demonstration for Ecological Restoration and Productivity Enhancement of Saline-Alkali Farmland

Recipient of the China Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Award

This project overcame the limitations of conventional soil amendment approaches that focus on short-term correction while neglecting long-term soil health.

Seawin developed an integrated remediation system based on:

• Dual-seaweed-derived biostimulants 

• Biosynthesized functional biostimulants 

• Salt-tolerant beneficial microbial inoculants

This synergistic approach delivers three major benefits:

• Desalinization and soil structure improvement 

• Restoration of soil microbial ecology 

• Stable and increased crop productivity 

The technology effectively addresses key challenges in saline-alkali soils, including weak seedling establishment and unstable yields.

2. Integrated Graded Management Technology and Large-Scale Application for Saline-Alkali Farmland Along the Yellow River Basin

Selected for the Shandong Provincial Priority Program

This project developed scientifically tailored nutrition and soil management programs according to different degrees of saline-alkali soil severity in the Yellow River Basin.

The integrated solution not only reduces salinity and improves crop tolerance to saline-alkali stress, but also ensures balanced nutrient supply throughout the crop cycle, enabling stable and high yields under adverse soil conditions.

Three Core Technological Innovations

1. Dual-Algae Biostimulant Technology

This proprietary technology utilizes Seawin’s patented Dual-Algae Enzymolysis-Fermentation Coupling Extraction Technology to integrate a wide range of bioactive compounds from both green algae and brown algae, including: Alginic Acid, Seaweed polysaccharides, Natural osmoprotectants. These naturally derived components play a critical role in saline-alkali soil remediation by:

• Enhancing crop tolerance to salt stress and other abiotic stresses

• Stimulating root development and nutrient uptake

• Promoting the formation of stable soil aggregates

• Reducing surface salt accumulation in saline-alkali soils

2. Biosynthesized Functional Factor and Microbial Synergistic Technology

This innovative technology combines the biosynthesized stress-resistance factor APAA with salt-tolerant beneficial microorganisms to create an integrated solution for saline-alkali soil improvement.

The synergistic system delivers multiple functions simultaneously:

• Enhancing crop resistance to salt and environmental stress

• Reducing salt damage 

• Increasing soil fertility

• Improving soil structure

• Restoring soil microbial ecology for long-term soil health

3. Graded Management and Precision Adaptation Technology

This technology establishes a multidimensional evaluation system for saline-alkali soils and develops customized saline-alkali soil remediation programs tailored to specific soil conditions in diverse environments, including the Yellow River Basin and coastal saline-alkali soils.

Field-Proven Results in Saline-Alkali Environments

1. Application in Saline-Alkali Cotton Fields in Xinjiang

Cotton grown in the saline-alkali soils of Xinjiang is particularly vulnerable to salt stress during the germination and seedling stages, when root tissues are still tender and the plants have limited tolerance to saline-alkali conditions.

After application of Seawin’s integrated saline-alkali soil treatment program through drip irrigation, cotton growth showed significant improvement, as illustrated below.

The treated cotton showed higher emergence rates, stronger tolerance to saline-alkali stress, fewer dead seedlings, more developed root systems, and healthier stems and leaves, establishing a solid foundation for high yields.

2.Coastal Landscaping Application in Qingdao

In the coastal saline-alkali areas of Qingdao, this technology successfully improved the rhizosphere environment of urban landscaping plants, promoted root development, and enhanced overall plant vigor and landscape quality.

Why Are Biostimulants Effective for Saline-Alkali Soil Remediation?

Traditional approaches to saline-alkali soil remediation mainly rely on chemical amendments such as gypsum, along with intensive irrigation and salt-leaching practices. While these methods can reduce salinity and sodicity, they are often costly and provide limited support for restoring soil biological activity and long-term soil health.

Biostimulants and beneficial microorganisms offer a complementary solution by working at both physiological and ecological levels. They help crops and soils recover through multiple mechanisms, including:

• Enhancing osmotic adjustment in plants

• Activating antioxidant defense systems

• Stimulating root growth and development

• Improving nutrient uptake and utilization

• Rebuilding beneficial rhizosphere microbial communities

By addressing both plant stress tolerance and soil ecosystem restoration, biostimulants have become an important component of modern saline-alkali soil management and a valuable complement to conventional remediation practices.

Significance for Global Agriculture

As global agriculture faces increasingly severe challenges from saline-alkali soils, drought, and climate change, the integrated technology developed by Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group combining Biostimulants, Biosynthesized functional factors and Beneficial microorganisms, offers a powerful and sustainable solution. It enhances crop stress tolerance and yield in the short term, while restoring soil ecology and improving soil health over the long term.

The recent national recognition of this technology further demonstrates that biotechnology-driven solutions are opening new pathways for global saline-alkali soil restoration and sustainable agricultural development.

Source：AgNews