Liquid Fertiliser Production and Distribution

Bardney

King’s Lynn

> 200 road tankers

> 500 analyses

Saddlebow

Global Foliar Nutrient Distribution ~ 5m litres

The Threats

Nitrogen Production

Phosphate Mining

Phosphate Pollution

Opportunities to improve efficiency

(and sustainability)

• Additives

• Novel Formulations

• Microbes

• Biostimulants

• Biofortification

• Future R&D

Additives

Urea Ammonium Nitrite CO(NH2)2 urease NH4

+ Nitrosomonas NO2

Nitrate NO3

-

DIDIN

Nitrification Inhibitors

7.6

7.8

8

8.2

8.4

8.6

8.8

9

1 2 3140kg/ha 180 kg/ha 220kg/ha

Didin on Wheat

Without Didin With Didin

ARC and Thames Valley Agritrials

Average of 5 varieties over 2 year period

+0.4

+0.4

+0.5

Yie

ld (

t/h

a)

Triple Super Phosphate

Phosphate conventional chemistry

Ca2+

HPO4-

Ca2+

Mg2+

Mg2+

Fe2+

Fe3+

HPO4-

HPO4-

Calcareous Soil

Dolomitic Soil

Ferrugenous Soil

Ca2+

Ca2+

Mg2+ Mg2+

Fe2+

Fe3+

Ca2+

Ca2+

Mg2+ Mg2+

Fe2+

Fe3+ Ca2+

Ca2+

Mg2+ Mg2+

Fe3+

Fe2+

HPO4-

HPO4-

Microbial interactions VAM, PGPRb, Phosphobacter Precipitation of

Phosphate salts

Foliar

P

Placed

P

Microbes

Protected P

TPA Structure

Effect of TPA on wheat root hair growth

Increased nutrient

availability from TPA

encourages roots to

generate many more

root hairs.

Normal Nutrient Level plus TPA

Root hairs are

responsible for up to

90% or more of nutrient

uptake. Normal Nutrient Level

Maris Peer (Salad) Potatoes, Suffolk 2011

853,430

899,980

830,000

840,000

850,000

860,000

870,000

880,000

890,000

900,000

910,000

Omex 7.20.0 (400 l/Ha) Omex 7.20.0 + TPA

Tuber Numbers

Omex 5:15:5

in till

application

at drilling

Omex 5:15:5

+ TPA in till

application

at drilling

Winter Wheat

East Yorkshire

January 2012

Novel Formulations

Bitterpit trial, USA Oregon USA 2011

CalMax Ultra Calcium standard

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

5.2

CTRL OMEX CALMAX CaCl2

Location: Kent, UK

Variety Cox

Application rate 3.5 litres/Ha

Enhanced Calcium: Fruit firmness F

ruit f

irm

ness

Control CalMax Ultra Calcium chloride

Location: Kent, UK

Variety Cox

Application rate 3.5 litres/Ha

Control CalMax Ultra Calcium chloride 11.4

11.6

11.8

12

12.2

12.4

12.6

12.8

13

13.2

13.4

CaCl2 Omex Calmax Control

Brix

oB

x

Calcium chloride CalMax Ultra Control

Sweetness

Microbes

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, a natural, unmodified rhizobacteria, selected because of the broad spectrum of activity and used for stimulating plant growth.

• Improved germination

• Improved rooting of plants

• Improved yields

• Earlier yield

• Higher vitality of plants (reduced disease intensity and frequency

Biomex= Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42®

Bio-Fertilisation – feeding and protecting Biomex Plus…

Promotes:

• plant growth,

• root development

• defence

Forms an active envelope

around root mass.

Actively releases nutrients

from soil sources.

Competes with other

microbes for root exudates

Produces physical, bio-

chemical barrier to suppress

pathogens

Mode of action: • After use (e.g by coating or soil drenching) and germination

of spores the roots will be colonised

Bacteria

Bacteria

Potatoes: 2011

53.5

73.0

50

55

60

65

70

75

Control Biomex Plus

tonnes/ha

+36.4%

Var: Saxon.

Suffolk UK

Strawberries, Kent, 2011

Untreated Biomex

Market Weight

BIOMEX 459.6 (41.6) P=0.044

CONTROL 421.3 (30.2)

“The effect of treatment on the total weight of

fruit including marketable, non-marketable and

waste was significant with the Biomix treatment

causing an increase in weight of fruit produced”

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

Untreated Treated

Avera

ge P

lant

Weig

ht in

Gm

Carrots: Biomex Seed Treatment Average Plant Weight (gm) 30 Plants assessed 08 Oct 2010

Root Weight Top WeightVariety: Nairobi Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk

Total 75.6 gm (+9%)

+8%

+15% Total 69.2 gm

Biomex: Cotton Yield, Egypt (kg/20m2)

University of Cairo

• Cotton variety Giza 90

• Sowing rate/Ha 60kg

• Biomex seed dressing 240 ml/Ha

• Fertiliser (NH4NO3) recommended rate 79kgN/Ha

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Control Biomex 50% fertiliser 50% + Biomex 100% fertiliser 100% +

Biomex

Co

tto

n y

ield

(k

g/m

2)

+75%

+30%

Biostimulants

www.biostimulants.eu

Revised EBIC

definition of biostimulants

“Plant biostimulants, regardless of their nutrient content, contain substance(s), compound(s), and/or micro-organisms whose functional use, when applied to plants or the rhizosphere, is to improve crop development, vigor, yield and/or quality by stimulating natural processes that benefit growth and responses to abiotic stresses.”

As of 14 February 2012 37

Kelpak on Bing Cherry yield - California

Phosphites

• What are they?

• What do they do?

• How can they be used?

O

P H Phosphites (Phi):

salts of phosphorous acid (H3PO3)

Phosphates (Pi):

salts of phosphoric acid (H3PO4)

What they do really depends on the dose

Low Dose (<1 litre/Ha)

• Excellent foliar absorption

• Aid cation transport

• Quickly systemic

• Stimulate root production and nutrient uptake

• Stimulate Plant Health

• Synergy with phosphates

High Dose

• Act as fungicide

P deficiency induced citrate release

Romheld 2005

Exudation of organic acids

Phosphite/phosphate synergy

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1 2 3 4

Leaf dry

weig

ht/

pla

nt

(mg)

No P Phosphite Phosphate Phosphate +

Phosphite

Hydroponic tomato plants

Spring Barley, Yorkshire 2011

24 days after spray BIO 20 (1,0L/ha)

Bio20

Biofortification

ZnSO4

Omex II

Effectiveness of OMEX-II and ZnSO4 on grain Zn

accumulation when sprayed at different rates during

the early milk stage

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Folex Se pre-em20L/Ha

2 x Folex Sepost-em 7 & 14days @ 10L/ha

2 x Folex Sepost-em 7 & 14days @ 20L/ha

2 x Folex Sepost-em 7 & 14days @ 30L/ha

2 x Folex Sepost-em 7 & 14

days @ 10L/ha +4L/ha Kelpak

1 2 3 4 5

Leafy Salad: DM Selenium mg/Kg at harvest

Future R&D

• Elicitors

• Beneficial nutrients

• Microbes

Elicitors

• Fungal and Bacterial PGPRS

• Antibiotics

• Chitin

• Ergosterol

• Glucans

• Lipopolysaccharides

• Proteins and Peptides

• Salicylic Acid

• Sphingolipids

• Bacterial metabolites

• Brassinolide

• Jasmonates

• Oligogalacturonide

• Oxalate

• Plant extracts

• Salicylic acid

• Spermine

• Ethylene

• Chitosan

• Saccharin

• BABA

• Lipids

• Nitric oxide

• Vitamins

• Silicon

• MANY OTHERS?

Future R&D

Help Wanted!