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The global market for conventional fertilizers has reached an impressive $200 billion. However, the physical expansion of the fertilizer market shows little growth. This is because increasing the dosage of fertilizers is no longer effective in current intensive Agricultural practices.
In these conditions, fertilizer manufacturers are searching for new, more efficient methods such as “in-furrow” application, foliar fertilization, and the development of special formulations like coated or slow-release fertilizers.
The problems of applying fertilizers are well known - leaching and evaporation of nitrogen or binding of phosphorus by minerals in the soil, etc. Producers are looking for special solutions to limit these negative factors of fertilizer use. Some of these technological methods increase the efficiency of fertilizer application and partially prevent evaporation or blocking of biogens, but still the problem remains. Let's stop at phosphorus. Depending on the type of soil, Phosphorus can be blocked by such chemical elements as Ferrum, Calcium, Magnum, and Aluminum. Some fertilizer manufacturers use organic and mineral acids that can dissolve these phosphorus compounds and convert this biogenic element into a form available to plants. However, this effect is short-lived, since free phosphorus quickly turns into retrograded phosphorus and becomes unavailable to plants. At BTU, 15 years ago solutions were developed. The solution is called Groundfix, it consists of different bacteria like Bacillus, Priestia, Paenibacillus, Agrobacterium spp. These microorganisms are known for the complex effect of plant agrocenosis plus one of the important properties is the production of amino acids which can start the chemical reaction towards phosphorus mobilization in available form for the plants.Over the past decade, BTU has conducted numerous scientific and field trials to validate the effectiveness of Groundfix. For example, trials in the Central region of Ukraine measured the product’s impact on various crops, including corn, sunflower, and soybeans. In 2019, the average results showed that Groundfix could compensate for up to 30% of traditional NPK fertilizers without sacrificing yield. Similar results were observed in trials conducted across Ukraine and at European testing stations.
However, separately applying a biological product like Groundfix before sowing is not always convenient for farmers who aim to minimize the number of field passes. Recognizing this need, BTU developed
Groundfix Extreme— a formulation with enhanced storage capabilities and compatibility with tank mixes, allowing it to be applied alongside herbicides and other treatments like urea ammonium nitrate.
However, even this is not the final stop of the development way of Groundfix. During resent 5 years BTU collaborated with a few mineral granular fertilizer producers towards the development of a new formulation of Groundfix which is designed for increasing the efficiency of granular fertilizers. In 2019 first experiments were carried out. Use of bacteria in the production of granular fertilizers is a challenging task because the granulation-producing process takes place at high temperatures which does not allow most of microorganisms to survive. BTU together with this partner found the way how to organize the coating of ready granules with beneficial microorganisms. With this method, BTU has already gained plenty of data. First of all, stability, and storage data, confirm that this method can guarantee at least one year of shelf life of bacteria in normal room temperature. Secondly, complex efficacy data was generated. Starting from test in the vegetation room in control conditions we found out the best application rates and caught sufficient influence on root development and plant growth. Field and laboratory tests showed that applying this new formulation at a rate of 2-5 liters per ton of fertilizer significantly enhanced root development and overall plant growth. After this experiment, we continued monitoring in field studies. The results were remarkable in field trials conducted in 2020 on corn and sunflower. The use of enriched fertilizer—containing Groundfix—at a rate of 100 kg per hectare increased yields by nearly three times compared to standard fertilizer application. While conventional fertilizers led to a yield increase of 250 kg/ha, the enriched fertilizer resulted in an additional 960 kg/ha. Similar effects were observed in sunflower crops, where the yield increase was twice as high with the enriched formulation.
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BTU continues to expand its collaboration with fertilizer producers, helping them develop premium, high-efficiency granules enriched with Groundfix technology. This innovative approach not only increases fertilizer efficiency but also offers a sustainable solution to nutrient management challenges in modern agriculture.