Soil salinity is one of the most serious challenges to agricultural productivity today. It is estimated that over 1.38 billion hectares worldwide are affected by excess salinity, a problem exacerbated by climate change, irrigation with saline water, and seawater intrusion. In Italy—home to K-Adriatica’s headquarters—around 7% of agricultural land is already impacted, particularly in coastal areas of the North and South, where saline wedges are advancing each year in regions that were once highly fertile.

 

Projections suggest that, with rising temperatures and sea levels, up to 30% of the Earth's land surface could be affected by salinization in the coming decades. Italy’s situation is also concerning: according to the 2023 Soil Health Report, approximately 7% of the country’s farmland is at risk of excessive salinity, especially along coastal zones. In the Po and Adige river deltas, saline water intrusion has been recorded over 30 km inland, degrading both water quality and soil productivity.

 
HENDOSAR: The K-Adriatica Biostimulant for Mitigating Salt Stress in Plants

 

To address this critical issue, K-Adriatica has developed HENDOSAR, a biostimulant specifically formulated to enhance plant tolerance to salt stress and promote vegetative growth even under extreme conditions. Thanks to its targeted action, HENDOSAR becomes an essential tool in any soil salinity management strategy.

 

HENDOSAR is registered as a biostimulant in compliance with EU Regulation 2019/1009, with the official claim of enhancing plant response to abiotic stresses, particularly salt stress. Certified trials across various crops confirm the product’s efficacy in supporting plant growth and physiological function in high-salinity environments.

 

The strength of HENDOSAR lies in its precisely balanced formulation of Calcium and Magnesium, which temporarily replaces Sodium in clay colloids through cation exchange. This action displaces sodium ions from the rhizosphere, improving soil structure, pH, and water availability—representing a first, concrete step toward soil salinity correction.

 

Although this process does not lower total soil salinity, it temporarily alters microenvironmental conditions around the root zone, enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency. Within this more favorable “agronomic window,” plants can absorb nutrients more effectively and resume normal growth.

The exclusive KK technology developed by K-Adriatica optimizes root absorption precisely when osmotic pressure in the rhizosphere is reduced. This dual-action effect—on both soil and plant—enables a rapid and measurable response, even in the most challenging soils.

 

Controlled-environment trials show that HENDOSAR application sustains active growth under saline conditions. Apricot, citrus, maize, pea, and sunflower all demonstrated an average 20% increase in leaf biomass compared to untreated controls. In vegetable crops, strawberry and tomato recorded over 10% increases in leaf area and plant height.

 

These improvements translate into higher yields, as field data confirm:

 

HENDOSAR is a systemic biostimulant that enables plants to reach their full potential even under severe conditions. It is an effective, fast-acting, and flexible agronomic solution, compatible with major fertilization and irrigation programs. Suitable for vegetables, fruit trees, and arable crops, HENDOSAR supports productivity and crop quality under saline stress.

 

In an agricultural landscape increasingly shaped by the impacts of climate change, HENDOSAR is the key technology to protect yield, quality, and plant physiological function—even where soil salinity would otherwise threaten viability.