Belgian retailer Colruyt Group is leveraging its stake in Netherlands-based The Seaweed Company to experiment with biostimulants to improve the soil health of its own farmland.

The retail giant is collaborating with The Seaweed Company, in which it holds a 21 percent minority stake, on a new project using the seaweed-based biostimulant, TopHealth Plants, on its own farmland in Moustier.

The product has proven it can play an important role in reducing the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and should make the soil healthier and crops more resilient, the retailer said.