GROUNDFIX AND AZOTOHELP: INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FERTILIZATION SYSTEM

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In spring 2026, fertilizer efficiency became a direct economic concern for growers. Fertilizer markets entered another period of volatility: according to the World Bank, fertilizer prices rose sharply between February and March 2026, with urea increasing by nearly 46% month-on-month. FAO also warned that fertilizer prices could average 15–20% higher in the first half of 2026 if disruption risks persisted. At the same time, global fertilizer availability remained sensitive to logistics and geopolitical risks, including the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz for fertilizer and energy flows.

This pressure is especially important because fertilizer prices have increased much faster than grain prices. For farmers, this creates a difficult margin situation: fertilizers remain expensive and, in some regions, difficult to secure, while crop prices do not fully compensate for higher input costs.

As a result, the logic of fertilization is changing. The key question is no longer only how many kilograms of NPK are applied per hectare. The more important question is how much of these nutrients the crop can actually access and convert into yield. Under high fertilizer prices, possible shortages and unstable supply chains, nutrient-use efficiency becomes one of the most practical tools for protecting profitability.

More than 10 years of work on biological fertilizer compensation

BTU has been working with biological fertilizer compensation and fertilizer-use efficiency for more than 10 years. This approach is supported by 911 trials with Groundfix and Azotohelp and is not based on presenting microbial products as direct replacements for mineral fertilizers. The goal is to improve the biological efficiency of fertilization: activate the rhizosphere, support nutrient transformation, mobilize nutrients from soil and applied fertilizers, and help crops access N, P and K during critical growth stages.

This is important because even correctly applied fertilizers are not fully used by crops. Nitrogen can be lost through nitrate leaching, ammonia volatilization and denitrification. A global analysis published in Nature Communications estimated the mean nitrogen recovery efficiency in croplands at about 48%, showing that a large share of applied nitrogen may not be converted into yield.

Phosphorus can quickly become less available when phosphate ions react with calcium, iron or aluminium compounds, depending on soil pH. Potassium may also be present in large total reserves, but remain fixed in clay minerals or poorly soluble forms. Therefore, biological activity in the rhizosphere is a key factor in improving nutrient availability and fertilizer-use efficiency.

How Groundfix and Azotohelp support nutrient-use efficiency

Groundfix is used as a biological tool for improving phosphorus and potassium availability. Its target is the rhizosphere – the zone where microorganisms, soil particles, root exudates, organic matter and fertilizer-derived nutrients interact. Phosphate- and potassium-mobilizing microorganisms help convert poorly available nutrient forms into forms that plants can use more effectively.

Azotohelp supports the nitrogen component of the nutrition system. The product is based on nitrogen-fixing bacteria that help support the biological nitrogen balance in the root zone. In practice, Azotohelp should not be positioned as a universal full replacement for mineral nitrogen. Its role is to provide biological support that can reduce pressure on mineral nitrogen programs under specific crop, soil and application conditions.

Together, Groundfix and Azotohelp address the three key macronutrients from different angles: Groundfix supports phosphorus and potassium availability, while Azotohelp supports nitrogen nutrition. This makes their combined use agronomically logical in systems aimed at improving the efficiency of NPK fertilization.

Field evidence: from concept to field results

One of BTU’s early reference trials on biological fertilizer compensation was conducted in 2019 in cooperation with Vinnytsia National Agrarian University. Groundfix was tested under reduced NPK systems on three crops: corn, soybean and sunflower. In corn, the 100% NPK control produced 11.62 t/ha, while the best Groundfix treatment under reduced NPK reached 13.94 t/ha. In soybean, yield increased from 3.24 to 3.92 t/ha, and in sunflower from 3.87 to 4.41 t/ha. These results showed that biological mobilization of nutrients could support reduced fertilizer systems across several crops, not only in one isolated case.

For BTU, this is a key principle: single results are useful, but multi-year and multi-location trials are much more valuable. Microbial products work in living soil systems, where performance depends on crop, soil type, moisture, temperature, fertilizer background, application method and biological activity. For this reason, Groundfix and Azotohelp continue to be evaluated under different crops, countries and fertilizer strategies.

In Ukraine, a two-year corn trial in 2024–2025 evaluated Azotohelp as a tool to compensate for a reduction of 30 kg/ha of mineral nitrogen. The full nitrogen treatment N120 produced 9.75 t/ha, while the reduced nitrogen control N90 produced 8.88 t/ha. When Azotohelp was added to the N90 system, yield increased to 10.30–10.75 t/ha, depending on the rate and application method. The best result, 10.75 t/ha, was +1.87 t/ha above the N90 control and +1.00 t/ha above the full N120 treatment.

Groundfix was also evaluated in a two-year corn trial in Ukraine under two NPK backgrounds: N60P60K60 and N42P42K42. The response was strongest under the reduced fertilizer background. Under N42P42K42, the control produced 5.01 t/ha, while Groundfix treatments increased yield to 5.53–5.72 t/ha. The best result, 5.72 t/ha with Groundfix Premium at 1 kg/ha, represented +0.71 t/ha, or +14.2%, compared with the reduced NPK control.

The same principle was tested in starter and reduced-fertilizer systems in different countries. In Germany, Groundfix at 3.0 L/ha with a 75% fertilizer rate produced 6.44 t/ha of winter wheat, compared with 5.98 t/ha in the 100% fertilizer control. In the Czech Republic, Azotohelp was tested in corn under reduced urea programs. The standard control received 200 kg/ha of urea, while the Azotohelp treatments received only 40 kg/ha of urea, meaning that the urea rate was reduced by 160 kg/ha, or 80%. The control produced 52.07 t/ha of green mass, while Azotohelp treatments reached 54.79–55.85 t/ha. In Greece, a corn trial with 80% NPK + Groundfix + Azotohelp produced 12.1 t/ha, compared with 11.7 t/ha in the 100% NPK control.

Trials outside Europe are also important for understanding the broader potential of this approach. In Côte d’Ivoire, a reduced 75% NPK biological-supported corn program produced 11.23 t/ha, compared with 8.88 t/ha in the standard 100% NPK program. This result should be interpreted as evidence of a system approach, because several biological components were used together. However, it shows that biological fertilizer optimization may be relevant not only in European conditions, but also in warmer and more stress-prone environments.

The combined use of Groundfix and Azotohelp provides the most complete biological support for NPK efficiency. In a Ukrainian corn trial in 2024–2025, the untreated control produced 8.42 t/ha, while the LCF starter fertilizer reference produced 8.67 t/ha. Individual biological treatments increased yield to 8.79–9.22 t/ha. The highest result, 9.54 t/ha, was achieved with Groundfix Classic 0.75 L/ha + Azotohelp 0.2 L/ha in-furrow, which was +1.12 t/ha above the control and +0.87 t/ha above the LCF starter reference.

Conclusions

Fertilizer market volatility in 2026 confirms that nutrient-use efficiency is becoming a key priority for crop production. When fertilizers remain expensive and grain prices do not fully compensate for rising input costs, the focus shifts from applying more nutrients to using applied nutrients more effectively.

BTU’s long-term field experience shows that Groundfix and Azotohelp can support this approach across different crops, fertilizer systems and growing conditions. These products should not be viewed as mechanical substitutes for mineral fertilizers, but as tools for improving fertilizer efficiency: Groundfix helps mobilize phosphorus and potassium, while Azotohelp supports nitrogen nutrition.

Used strategically, they can help growers reduce nutrient losses, improve fertilizer return and maintain more stable crop performance under modern economic and agronomic constraints.

Authors: Oleh Baranovskyi, Dmytro Yakovenko

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