Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plants, as they need large quantities of nitrogen to achieve high quality and yield. However, on average only 50 percent of nitrogen is taken up by plants. The remaining amount can be lost into the air as greenhouse gases or into the water as nitrate leaching. Low nitrogen use efficiency can result in multifold issues, with farmers suffering from lost yield potential while the lost nitrogen has environmental impacts, such as climate warming, eutrophication and smog.
Ampliqan will offer the industry and farmers a new standard to enhance nitrogen use efficiency. Urea and/or ammonium-containing fertilizers that are stabilized with Ampliqan are protected against leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. Powered by the active ingredient, DMPSA-K2, it keeps the level of ammonium stable for a longer time by inhibiting the action of the specific bacteria. This prevents the nitrate from leaching out of rhizosphere into the ground water, meaning it is protected and available to plants just when they need it. In addition, the ammonium-based plant nutrition has secondary benefits by making more micronutrients available, which is especially important for quality of the crop.
Markus Schmid, Head of N-Management business, BASF SE, says: "With Ampliqan, BASF reinforces its commitment to climate-smart agriculture and supporting farmers to improve their profitability. Our participation in the 23rd New Ag International conference in Bangkok will allow BASF to showcase a plug-and-play solution for the industry and farmers in their quest for better yields, while addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Enhanced by BASF's fertilizer history and expertise, this innovation will enable the fertilizer industry to have a superior, sustainable solution that offers multiple benefits - for the industry, for farmers and for the environment."
Ampliqan's ready-to-use formulation has excellent storage stability in a broad temperature range and is compatible with all nitrogen fertilizers, including urea, ammonium nitrate formulas, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate), MAP (Monoammonium Phosphate), NPKs (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium fertilizers), and liquid fertilizers. It can be applied at the fertilizer production facility and throughout the supply chain, using standard batch and continuous blending equipment. Additionally, the long shelf life of the treated fertilizers provides flexibility to the fertilizer industry and farmers.
Source: BASF (Thai)