BASF advances climate-smart agriculture with latest innovation, Ampliqan® nitrification inhibitor, that enhances nitrogen use efficiency
- Value-adds to farmers’ profitability by protecting against nitrogen loss in fertilizer, which can lead to higher crop yields, higher product quality and greater flexibility of fertilizer applications
- Delivers a new standard to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making Ampliqan a powerful tool in emerging carbon business models
- Demonstrates outstanding handling properties and stability on all nitrogen fertilizers
Bangkok, Thailand - BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions (P&SS) has launched its latest nitrification inhibitor, Ampliqan®, to the fertilizer industry. This new innovation that protects nitrogen against losses due to nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions will be available in Asia-Pacific and other regions globally by 2026. This nitrogen stabilizer helps enable fertilizer manufacturers to differentiate and enhance their product portfolio and prepare for future regulatory and environmental changes, as many nations are pursuing climate-smart agricultural practices.
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.
To find out more about Ampliqan, visit Products and Services | Nitrogen Use Efficiency | BASF Global or contact mark.sng@basf.com, Head of Communications, BASF Agricultural Solutions, Asia-Pacific.
About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €919 million in 2024, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, combining innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and our other stakeholders along the value chain. With teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we do everything in our power to build a sustainable future for agriculture. In 2024, our division generated sales of €9.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or our social media channels.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
