Micronutrient market moves

MICRONUTRIENT PRODUCTS

Micronutrient market moves

Micronutrient products are one the fertilizer industry’s fastest growing segments. In response, ICL, Koch Agronomic Services, Levity Crop Science, Omex and SQM have all strengthened their micronutrient portfolios.

ICL

The Brazilian launch of Nutriduo – a highly innovative foliar product

Guilherme Amarel, technical development manager, Robson Mauri, portfolio & services director, and Ithamar Prada, VP, marketing and innovation

ICL’s manufacturing site in Suzano, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PHOTO: ICL

ICL in South America offers a wide range of plant nutrition and growth products covering all of Brazil’s main crops. Its specialty product portfolio includes:

• Slow and controlled release fertilizers
• Soil applied and foliar micronutrients
• Biostimulants
• Seed treatments
• Adjuvants.

These cover the entire agricultural value chain.

ICL serves over 32,000 farms in Brazil and has a presence in 25 of the country’s 26 states. The company’s large field sales force provides commercial coverage in all of Brazil’s agricultural regions. Its well-established domestic assets base includes eight production sites.

Soil nutrient deficiencies

Currently, most cultivated areas in Brazil are nutrient deficient to some extent. This is linked to the natural and widespread occurrence of poorly fertile acid soils and/ or the extraction of nutrient by crops without subsequent replenishment. Low soil pH values and nutrient deficiencies – for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), boron (B) and zinc (Zn) etc. – are widely reported and act to limit crop yields. In Brazil, it is therefore essential to manage and improve soil nutrient content to maintain and increase crop productivity.

Foliar fertilization

To maximize the effectiveness of crop inputs and boost crop productivity, fertilizer producers are turning to technologies capable of improving nutrient use efficiency and meeting the nutritional demands of plants. The use of foliar fertilizers, for example, is increasing – both in Brazil and globally. This is shown by the rise in foliar product sales and the higher adoption rates for foliar application technologies. Foliar fertilization is also a growing area of academic research.

Plant, animal and human nutrition

Plant nutrition is fundamental for and directly related to human health, as many of the elements that are vital for plant metabolism and healthy crops are also essential to animals and humans. Despite this, the drive for ever greater crop productivity – necessary to satisfy growing food consumption globally – has caused a decline in the nutritional quality of harvested produce, especially after Asia’s ‘Green Revolution’.

Nowadays, therefore, in addition to raising crop productivity, the major challenge for agriculture is to improve nutritional quality – in plants, animal and humans – alongside the equally pressing need to guarantee food security.

The launch of Nutriduo

ICL recently brought Nutriduo, a disruptive and innovative new micronutrient product, to market in Brazil. This plant-active foliar product is enriched with selenium (Se), magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) and functions via three modes of action:

• Improves photoprotection – the presence of selenium (Se), by increasing carotenoid production, helps prevent sun damage in plants by improving energy dissipation during photosynthesis.
• Activates the plant’s antioxidant system – the application of micronutrients in low concentrations (including Se) has a positive and direct effect on the enzymes that combat oxidative stress in plants and influences their secondary metabolism.
• Increases photoassimilate transport – nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and selenium improve the flow of photoassimilates in the phloem vessels. This is beneficial as it increases the partition of carbohydrates from the leaves (source) to the harvested parts of the plant (drains) such as roots, tubers, pods and fruits.

Fig. 1: Response of two soybean cultivars to Nutriduo application at the R1 stage: crop yield and grain selenium content

Fig. 2: Murcott Tangerines: reductions in fallen fruit with Nutriduo application

In addition, Nutriduo also add Se to crop nutrient supply. This is a beneficial micronutrient for plants as well as being an essential element for animals and humans. Importantly, the application of Nutriduo – while helping plant metabolism and attenuating plant stress by enrichment with Se, Mg, and Zn – will also benefit human lives at the far end of the supply chain!

As a cutting-edge plant nutrient company, ICL’s launch of Nutriduo brings three new innovations to Brazilian agriculture:

• A patent-protected Mg-chelate
• A selenium complex to improve plant metabolism
• A balanced mix of crop nutrients that improves both yields and food safety conditions for the population.

Proven field trial results

Field trials with two soybean varieties have shown that foliar spraying with Nutriduo:

• Increases crop productivity by around five percent
• Raises the Se content in the grains of this legume by 2-5-times (Figure 1).

Other field studies on Murcott tangerine (Citrus reticulata Blanco x Citrus sinensis L.) have shown that Nutriduo increases both productivity and fruit retention in plants. Application of Nutriduo delivered greater profitability to the grower by increasing total productivity by 18 percent and reducing fruit drop by 46 percent (Figure 2). The visual properties of tangerines are among the main influences on consumer buying decisions. Beneficially, the application of Nutriduo improved the coloration and shelf life of these fruits compared to the control treatment (Figure 3).

Fig. 3: Murcott tangerines: visual appearance one day after harvest and 25 days after harvest, respectively, for control treatment (a, c) versus Se+ Zn + Mg (b, d).

ICL’s Innovation Center at Iracemapolis, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PHOTO: ICL

“Nutriduo increases soybean crop productivity by around five percent and raises the selenium content in the grains of this legume by 2-5-times.”

Chelated micronutrients

Nowadays, there are many types of foliar products available on the market – including those based on chlorides, sulphates, nitrates and chelates. Academic reviews of foliar fertilizers have highlighted the advantages offered by chelated micronutrients. The stability of the chelate bond protects micronutrients from hydrolysis and/or precipitation. Chelates, by supplying micronutrients to plants more efficiently, are generally able to quickly and fully correct nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, nutrient absorption can be assisted by the affinity of the plant for the chelating agent.

Chelating agents do, however, need to be compatible with the enzyme system of plants so that there are no phytotoxicity problems. ICL has therefore been working to develop chelates using stable and mainly sustainable sources. (This is important at a time when the use of chelating agents is being questioned in parts of the world.) These new generation of chelates will be placed on the Brazilian market in 2023 and rolled out to other new markets subsequently.

ICL operates three research centres in different regions of Brazil to bring these and other innovations to market. These centres, such as the one in Iracemapolis (see photo), provide quick and reliable test results and are accredited by Brazil’s agriculture ministry.

LEVITY CROP SCIENCE

New silicon and iron technologies

British crop nutrition company Levity Crop Science has recently developed two new products designed to help growers better manage silicon and iron and prevent deficiencies across a variety of crop types:

Its new Zeme product features Si-X silicon technology, while Elona-Fe employs the company’s well-proven LimiN system – a chemically stabilised amine nitrogen formulated with Levity’s nutrient uptake stimulant.

Silicon – vital for plant structure and metabolism

“Although silicon often doesn’t register on the ‘essential nutrient’ scale,” says Levity’s founder Dr David Marks, “it plays a vital role in plant metabolism and structure.”

“Metabolically, it confers stress tolerance on plants to help them counter both abiotic and biotic factors, and it’s instrumental in the transport of phosphate, zinc, manganese and copper through the plant.”

Plants also use it to build up a hard layer of opal, a type of silica, in the cuticle. This opaline layer has a dual-purpose:

• First, it slows the speed at which fungal pathogens can colonise the plant
• Second, it improves structural robustness by increasing stem thickness and reducing the plant’s susceptibility to lodging – this being especially evident in cereals.

Dr Marks says that, while awareness of its role is growing, silicon is a difficult nutrient to tackle.

“Those opals are great for physical protection. But once they’re formed, the silicon’s no longer bioavailable for metabolic needs.”

“Silicon constitutes around half the content of any typical soil, although most of it’s not bioavailable. Also, what little there is – usually in the form of silicic acid (H4 SiO4 ) – is subject to fierce competition between plants and soil bacteria.”

There have been attempts to make foliar applications of silicon, says Dr Marks. “But there’s another obstacle: silicon isn’t phloem mobile.”

Levity responded to this challenge by developing Si-X technology (patent-pending) to stimulate the plant’s naturally occurring silicon transporters. This overcomes the problems associated with the ‘lock-up’ of conventional foliar silicon, says Dr Marks.

Si-X underwent its first major field trials in 2020 as part of Levity’s Zeme formulation. Its application to spring wheat at T1 and T2 timings in tank-mix with conventional fungicides delivered a yield response of 1.2 t/ha.

The iron deficiency challenge

Elona-Fe, meanwhile, has been developed mainly to help growers address the longstanding problem of iron deficiency on high pH, calcareous soils.

“Traditionally, iron chelates such as EDDHA have been pushed as a solution,” says Dr Marks. “But once you understand the reasons for the iron deficiency, it’s easy to see that EDDHA is only a sticking-plaster.”

That’s because there’s a strong link between nitrogen uptake and iron demand and deficiency, he explains. “The more nitrogen plants receive, the more iron they require. Iron’s used as an essential enzyme co-factor when plants process nitrates into proteins.”

“But when plants take up non-nitrate forms of nitrogen, such as ammonium and amine, the roots release protons during the exchange process. These protons then go on to dislodge soil-bound nutrients such as iron, allowing their absorption by the roots.

“Research shows that plants can use as much as 70 percent of their available iron for processing nitrates. Most of the nitrogen we apply to crops around the world is picked up by the plant in the form of nitrates, so we’re feeding plants in a way that increases their need for iron, while decreasing its supply.”

Once armed with this information, priorities for reducing iron deficiency can then be identified and acted on. These should include reducing the overall need for iron, improving harvesting of soil-bound iron, and only then supplying any additional requirement.

“Yet the traditional approach – EDDHA – simply ignores these first two points,” suggests Dr Marks. “Repeated applications of synthetic chelates are not resource-efficient in our view.”

Levity’s R&D team turned to one of its earlier technologies, LimiN, when developing Elona-Fe. This chemically stabilised amine nitrogen (SAN) allows the plant to access a non-nitrate form of nitrogen, thereby reducing the plant’s iron demand and helping to unlock natural iron sources in the soil. Furthermore, by linking iron to the stabilised amine, the plant absorbs iron alongside the nitrogen.

Dr David Marks, founder and managing director of Levity Crop Science inspects a Dutch onion trial.

PHOTO: LEVITY CROP SCIENCE

Levity has enhanced this process by formulating Elona-Fe with its proprietary nutrient uptake stimulant, Catalyst. After application, this helps eliminate short-term deficiencies immediately by increasing the speed of uptake and iron utilisation by the crop.

“Iron’s another vital element needed by the plant. The reason iron deficiency shows up as chlorosis [yellowing of the leaves] is because it’s directly involved in chlorophyll synthesis – if there’s no iron, there’s no chlorophyll and therefore no photosynthesis!”

Both new products demonstrate Levity’s problem-solving approach to crop nutrition, comments Dr Marks. “We identify ways in which we can work with, or enhance, the plant’s own metabolic pathways. It’s about helping the crop to help itself, effectively by supercharging its own systems – in a way that maximises resource-use efficiency, something we should all be committed to.”

A growing portfolio

Both new products, Elona-Fe and Zeme, are available from Levity’s UK and international distributors. They join a growing range of ‘smart’ products from this R&D focused company, such as LoCal and Damu.

LoCal is a calcium transport stimulant that improves quality and shelf-life in fruit crops. The boron-based Damu, in contrast, helps regulate carbohydrate transport in plants – a property that can optimise yield and yield distribution by manipulating plant growth stages and the way nutrients partition within the plants.

OMEX AGRIFLUIDS

Micronutrient coatingss

Andrew Lawrence, export manager

It is well understood that young plants can benefit from extra nutrient supply. Early nutrient availability is therefore essential, given that the first 30 days are particularly critical if crops are to reach their ultimate yield potential.

Providing both the macronutrients and micronutrients required for seedling development, Omex’s MDS coatings provide an excellent way to accurately deliver micronutrients alongside early applied granular fertilizer. They can also be delivered as a seed coating.

Crop benefits

Using soil testing, growers can adjust the MDS dose rate for coating field-applied fertilizers such as urea, diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate (DAP/MAP) and NPKs (bulk blends or compound fertilizers). This makes the application both cost effective and accurate by ensuring that the micronutrients supplied are what is needed for that crop/season.

The early uptake of nutrients helps plants get off to a strong start and ensures they can cope with transplant stress and other early-season stresses. Improved crop establishment and better early development of the plant’s root system ultimately delivers higher crop yields by increasing nutrient uptake efficiency. This holds true even where growers are reducing their overall fertilizer application rates. This is an important consideration for growers currently, given factors such as high and volatile fertilizer prices, the environmental focus on nutrient losses, and the drive to improve fertilizer efficiency. For example, when using urea coated with MDS Zinc, some growers are reporting solid results on a variety of crops at application rates 25-50 percent below their traditional levels.

When measuring the improvement in P2 O5 uptake by wheat for DAP coated with MDS Zinc, results also showed improved uptake across all of the nutrients tested for (Table 1).

Micronutrient fortification

As well as the expected plant growth and yields benefit of using MDS coatings, the nutritional value of the final product can be improved via fortification with essential nutrients, such as zinc for humans and selenium for cattle.

Tobacco farmer in Sri Lanka using Hayleys Agro X-Fert Orange (urea with MDS Zinc).

PHOTO: OMEX

Table 1: Uptake of nutrients by wheat: flag leaf stage test results for untreated DAP versus DAP coated with MDS Zinc

Fig. 1: Selenium fortification for cattle. UK trials on grassland with urea coated with MDS Selenium significantly increased the Se content available to animals in both established pasture (left) and new ley (right).

Fig. 2: Zinc fortification: the zinc content of harvested cassava and maize after MDS applications

In UK testing on grassland (new ley and established pasture), urea coated with MDS Selenium significantly increased the Se content available to animals (Figure 1). Existing test results on crops such as cassava and maize also show large increases in the zinc content of the harvested product (Figure 2). Other trials on rice, using MDS Zinc as both a seed and fertilizer coating, are ongoing currently. Omex is also carrying out further research on the fortification of different crop types with a range of nutrients essential for humans and animals.

Additional benefits

Extra to the already mentioned crop benefits, the use of MDS coatings has other production and handling advantages. The reduction in dust during blending, for example, is a major health & safety benefit for workers. Because MDS physically coats each granule, nutrient segregation during mixing is also eliminated. This improves the performance of NPK products when applied to the field.

MDS application rates are adjustable to suit any crop or soil type – and therefore deliver what is required for the next crop cycle, so growers are not over applying and overspending. MDS coatings can also be combined with Omex’s urease inhibitor when applied to urea to reduce nitrogen losses via volatilisation.

Finally, applying additional nutrients as a coating to standard granular fertilizer products can reduce the number of applications required and therefore cut labour costs. This is a major advantage for many growers who are facing both higher input costs and a dwindling labour pool currently.

“PROTIVATE is available in three formulations and provides both macronutrients and micronutrients to a variety of crops. It puts nutrition right where the crops need it.

In 2021, Koch Agronomic Services (KAS) acquired the brands WOLF TRAX™ DDP™ micronutrients and PROTIVATE™ nutritional seed enhancer. What was the thinking behind their purchase and how do these brands add to and complement your pre-existing crop nutrition product range?

Growers already recognize the importance of keeping vital macronutrients, like NPK, available in their soil for optimum plant uptake. However, they’re also realizing how critical the role of micronutrients is in the plant’s growth cycle.

By adding these market-leading micronutrient solutions to our portfolio, KAS has expanded on our commitment to provide our customers with innovative, value-added solutions. The micronutrient product portfolio – by improving nutrient use efficiency through balanced fertilization – complements our nitrogen stabiliser portfolio.

With WOLF TRAX DDP and PROTIVATE, growers have additional tools to manage the distribution of micronutrients across their fields and increase their maximum yield potential.

What crop types benefit most from seed enhancers, how are they applied and what can growers expect in term of yield improvements and better net returns?

PROTIVATE nutritional seed enhancers are designed to give young crops the nutrients needed for optimal crop establishment, while also eliminating the need for talc, so plants thrive in the early stages of growth and growers optimise yield advantages.

PROTIVATE is available in three formulations and provides both macronutrients and micronutrients to a variety of crops. It puts nutrition right where the crops need it. Growers appreciate the flexibility of application too – either self-applied in the planter with the seed or upstream with a retailer or seed provider.

The NU4-DRI formulation, for example, is designed to work with corn, wheat, soybeans, rice and cotton, and incorporates nitrogen, phosphate, manganese and zinc to promote root growth and seed flowability. The NU5-DRI formulation, meanwhile, contains ideal amounts of phosphate, manganese, zinc, iron and molybdenum to aid rood growth in soybeans, legumes and pulse crops, as well as improving flowability through the planter. The remaining formulation, NU5-LUX, is a seed finisher applied upstream and contains nitrogen, phosphate, manganese, zinc, molybdenum together with a shine component.

By giving seedlings easy access to vital nutrients, PROTIVATE gives those plants the ability to overcome early season challenges such as cold soil and extreme moisture events. These products also help plants develop a deeper root system.

Our trial results for PROTIVATE [NU4-DRI] show root growth two times larger than the untreated control. In other studies, PROTIVATE [NU4-DRI] provided an additional 4 bu/acre yield advantage over talc and graphite alone.

Which micronutrients do WOLF TRAX DPP provide and how do these products function? WOLF TRAX is already a popular and well-established brand in North America designed to simplify nutrient management, boost crop performance and maximise nutrient use efficiency.

The portfolio consists of single element formulations including zinc, boron, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, and calcium. These can be applied individually or in combination onto a dry fertilizer blend to achieve the optimal nutrient mix needed for the field and crop.

The WOLF TRAX portfolio also contains three formulations that offer a pre-mixed combination of macro and micronutrients. These formulations are designed to improve the operational efficiency at the fertilizer blender while delivering an optimal nutritional mix for the crop.

I should also mention that EvenCoat™ , a patented KAS technology, is included in all WOLF TRAX formulations. This ensures the adhesion of micronutrients to the entire surface of dry fertilizer granules. In turn, that allows for even distribution of nutrients across the field, giving plants better access for uptake when and where those micronutrients are needed.

Could you explain more about Nu-Trax P+™, an innovative phosphorus-based formulation designed to improve early-season crop nutrition?

NU-TRAX P+, as one of WOLF TRAX’s three nutrient blends, is a unique formulation. Its high concentration of phosphate and zinc plays a critical role in the early development of plants. [Its composition is 4% nitrogen, 25% available phosphate, 20% zinc, and 5% manganese.] Growers, by using NU-TRAX P+ with this custom blend, are therefore placing critical macro and micronutrients where plants need these most.

Why is this valuable? Well, we know that when plants have the right amounts of nutrients at the right time in the right place, they are more likely to overcome early season challenges, particularly with soil temperatures and moisture events.

Is farmer education equally important for demonstrating the benefits of the company’s relatively new micronutrient product range?

Yes, that’s absolutely right – grower education is very important. A key advantage for both WOLF TRAX and PROTIVATE is they both offer proven solutions. They stimulate root growth and overall plant health by placing the right amounts of micronutrients in the field in the right place at the right time. Growers have already experienced or seen the advantages of using these tools as part of their micronutrient management plans.

KAS offers multiple educational resources to growers including articles on the ‘Knowledge Center’ section of our website [KochAgronomicServices.com]. There, growers can find information on topics including the role of zinc in crop nutrition, the yield-limiting effects of hidden hunger as well as boron as an essential nutrient in crop production.

KAS also publishes a successful podcast called ‘Field Notes’ – which can be found on popular podcast streaming services. It provides another excellent resource for growers to learn more about WOLF TRAX, PROTIVATE and other KAS nutrient solutions.

Are additional WOLF TRAX and PROTIVATE products in the pipeline and is KAS targeting new crop types and/or regions for these products?

We’re always making efforts to grow as a crop nutrient enhancement leader. So, yes, expanding our portfolio for growers around the globe – to improve nutrient efficiency, utilisation and uptake – continues to be a focus for us.

Adding value for our retailers and growers is one of the many goals that KAS tries to achieve with every new product announcement. Talking and listening to growers is particularly important. Because of that, our scientists and agronomists are in constant contact with our customers to find out what they require to improve their operations from a nutrient management standpoint.

It’s that customer feedback that drives new product formulations – as well as growth into key markets such as Latin America.