Efficient use of resources is critical to maximising yield potential and optimising a grower's return on their fertiliser investment. Improving nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a significant concern for farmers planning input applications. In a recent study on biostimulants, growers cited increased nitrogen efficiency and decreased fertiliser expenses as critical drivers for using biostimulants. As growers look to optimise inputs while meeting productivity goals, addressing regulatory pressure, and improving ROI, biostimulants provide a powerful tool to increase NUE.
Large fertiliser applications are an effective way to maximise yield, but this can result in offsite nutrient loss, leading to increasing regulatory pressure. The European Commission aims to reduce nutrient losses by 50 percent by 2030 while maintaining soil fertility for crop production. This is projected to result in an overall 20 percent reduction in NPK fertiliser inputs. It is well known that 25–65 percent of fertilisers applied to crops are not fully utilised, compounding this challenge of reduced inputs.
Many factors, including environmental conditions, crop management, water quality, and soil health, can impact fertiliser efficiency. As growers contend with these challenges, many are turning to biostimulants to optimise their NUE and increase their return on investment in fertiliser.
FBSciences is a leader in NUE. Our proprietary biostimulant technology, Transit, forms the foundation for its comprehensive line of crop nutrition products. Transit Soil and Transit Foliar, its flagship biostimulant products, work inside the plant to promote the rapid uptake, absorption, and translocation of nutrients, improving NUE of both applied nutrients and those already in the soil.
This increased nutrient uptake and utilisation of nutrients mean that more of what growers apply will get into the crops, resulting in less runoff and leaching and less waste of a grower's fertiliser dollar. Increased NUE also reduces the necessary amount of applied fertiliser to achieve the exact crop yield, meaning other products can achieve the same performance and results with a lower application rate. With soaring nitrogen fertiliser prices, maintaining efficacy and results with a lower application rate is crucial.
