Borregaard launches Activance NUE, a CE-marked biostimulant ingredient designed to improve nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency across crop groups, enabling fertilizer manufacturers to develop more efficient and flexible plant nutrition solutions.

The ingredient is for fertilizer manufacturers seeking to improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE) in specialty plant nutrition products. Certified under the EU Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 as a PFC 6(B) non-microbial plant biostimulant, it supports validated nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency claims across all crop groups while offering flexibility in fertilizer formulation.

The ingredient was developed to address increasing demand for agricultural solutions that improve fertilizer performance while helping reduce nutrient losses and environmental impact.

The launch comes at a time when fertilizer manufacturers and growers are increasingly seeking solutions that help maintain crop performance while optimising fertilizer inputs amid rising cost pressure and supply uncertainty.

"Activance NUE combines validated nutrient use efficiency claims with strong formulation compatibility, giving fertilizer manufacturers a regulatory-ready solution for new fertilizer products," says Eduardo Pereira, Business Director Agri at Borregaard.

Regulatory-ready solution
Activance NUE enables fertilizer manufacturers to incorporate a CE-marked biostimulant into PFC 7 fertilizer blends while maintaining validated nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency claims on the final product label. This can simplify product development and help accelerate time-to-market for new fertilizer products intended for the European market.

Three validated modes of action
Activance NUE supports nutrient uptake and utilisation through three complementary mechanisms:

- Stimulation of root growth through activation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase
- Improved phosphorus availability through metal-phosphate complex formation
- Enhanced nitrate uptake with and reduced nitrate leaching

According to Borregaard field and laboratory studies, the ingredient increased total root length by 28.6% and nitrate uptake rate by 21% compared with untreated controls.

Yield response across crop groups
Open-field trials across multiple crop systems demonstrated positive yield responses:

- Fruit crops: +4-11%
- Vegetables: >10%
- Broadacre crops: >5%

In addition to improving nutrient use efficiency under standard fertilization programmes, Activance NUE supports crop performance under nutrient-limited conditions, where yield losses are typically more severe. This positioning is increasingly relevant as growers seek to optimise fertilizer use while protecting productivity under rising input costs and supply uncertainty.

The ingredient is designed for use in liquid and solid fertilizer systems, including liquid NPKs, fertigation, hydroponics and water-soluble fertilizers.

Activance NUE is available in both soluble powder and microgranule formats and has been developed for stability under high-salt and low-pH formulation conditions.

Supporting more sustainable nutrient management
Improving nutrient use efficiency is increasingly recognised as an important strategy for reducing nutrient losses associated with agricultural production. By improving nutrient uptake and utilisation, Activance NUE supports more efficient fertilizer use while contributing to more sustainable crop production systems.

Availability
Activance NUE is now commercially available worldwide. More information is available at Borregaard website.