"A company from Geradstetten uses nanotechnology to fertilize crops economically and in an environmentally friendly way". The current issue of "Magazin Wirtschaft", reports on the innovative products of B+H Solutions GmbH. Reported by Mr. Walter Beck.

The whole article:

REGIONAL LABORATORIES. A company in Remshalden-Geradstetten/Germany uses nano-technology to fertilize crops more economically and eco-friendly.

Laura Wieler holds a little brown plastic vial, containing only 100 milliliters of liquid in her hands. “A hectare of agricultural land can be fertilized with this small amount”, the Ph.D. in biology says. That’s the equivalent of more than a soccer field.

The inventors from Geradstetten have patented the secret of this incredible yield throughout Europe. Since each tiny silver grain is smaller than a ten-thousandth of a millimeter, the vial contains billions and billions of it. The technical term for this mixture is “colloidal silver“. Because the nanoparticles are small and numerous, the total surface area of all combined particles in this suspension is huge, Laura Wieler points out.

By attaching to the silver particles, nutrients enlarge their bioavailability for better assimilation into plants, than if applied freely to vegetable beds or flower fields in a conventional fertilizer solution, says Wieler. Plus, there is no risk of ammonium or nitrate polluting the groundwater – a major problem with conventional fertilization in agriculture.

However, not all of the company's products contain silver. The Remshalden-based company offers colloidal copper, iron, and mineral fertilizers containing different nanoparticles, such as those based on the chemical element boron, as well.

B+H Solutions GmbH was founded in 2011 by Prof. Martin Heinisch and Elmar Buder. Neither of them originally had anything to do with chemistry or agricultural sciences: Heinisch is the owner of a civil engineering office. Elmar Buder was a quality manager in industry, but came into contact with fertilizer issues through his brother, who runs an agricultural business. Initially, the founders tested colloidal fertilizers using the "trial and error" method. Later, they took a more systematic approach, but largely financed the research with their own money.

Today, B+H has several thousand customers in 80 countries from Ecuador to Kazakhstan. The world's largest rose grower, De Ruiter in the Netherlands, also relies on the nano fertilizer from Geradstetten. Six employees work at the B+H headquarters in Remshalden; production is outsourced to "a contract manufacturer in Germany". Recently, products for private users have been sold through garden centers - because nano fertilizers also help geraniums and rubber trees.

Laura Wieler explains the fact that flower growers are strongly represented among customers by the reservations that are sometimes expressed about the use of nanotechnology in the food sector. Colloidal fertilization, for example, is not permitted in organic farming. This is not entirely understandable for B+H, as the number of nanoparticles applied to arable land is minimal. The benefits of improved plant health are much greater. They reduce the use of pesticides and ultimately ensure that tomatoes and radishes are no longer contaminated with demonstrably problematic substances.
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B+H Solutions GmbH and Sendot Research B.V. welcome you at Booth 4B15.4. in Hall 4.

Original text: https://www.ihk.de/stuttgart/presse/magazin-wirtschaft/das-aktuelle-magazin-lesen-5353812

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WALTER BECK
Economy Magazine; Editorial office
walter.beck@stuttgart.ihk.de

*Image: Garden centers all over the world rely on B+H Solutions nano-fertilizers. Prof. Martin Heinisch visits a vegetable farmer in the Netherlands.

During trials for a new fertilizer concept by B+H Solutions GmbH in Gerbera at Schouten Opti-Fleurs, Sendot's sensors provided proof that the plant's photosynthetic efficiency increased significantly soon after the first application. In addition, the plant got stronger and less susceptible to stress. It got more resilient and the number of flowers per square meter has increased significantly.

With colloidal metal liquid fertilizers, B+H Solutions GmbH came to the market just a few years ago. Containing small amounts of silver, iron, calcium and copper, among other ingredients, these fertilizers are applied via irrigation, foliar spraying, or in combination. The effect of our fertilizers led to an increase in photosynthesis. At first demonstrated on various outdoor crops (e.g. olives and avocados), followed by greenhouse and cut flower cultivation.

Robert Zuyderwijk, now Director in Business Development Horticulture, at B+H Solutions, firstly had to gain business to the market. At coincidence he joined a presentation, held by Erwin Gräfe from Sendot, who develops sensors that can be used to measure how active a plant is (i.e. whether it produces sugar). Promoting plant activity is exactly what B+H's products promise and what the photosynthesis measuring device provides "proof" of.

The cooperation after this event carried out a series of trials, including this one at Schouten Opti-Fleurs. "A practical trial is important," says Robert, "because the grower himself has to participate." Weather conditions and natural plant characteristics influence the measurement results, that a researcher not necessarily can interpret. A gerbera, for example, needs 11 weeks before more production is visible, as the plant produces an extra leaf at first, from which the extra flower can grow. When we repeatedly measured up to 30 % more yield, the grower was able to verify this himself and explain with the help of Sendot's data analysis.

Among others, good results were achieved and supported by earlier trials with roses from a rose grower in De Lier and at DeRuiter Innovations in Amstelveen. 10 to 30 % more rose stems, depending on the rose variety, are harvested. Because B+H fertilizers primarily stimulate photosynthesis, growers can lessen the use of light. This gets famers energy savings, and cost savings. Last winter showed that energy savings of up to 25 % can be achieved with the same harvest results.

"This is a great project for Sendot," adds Erwin. "It proves that our sensors are really made for use in greenhouses. They are handy and provide information about a plant’s development. An experiment like this illustrates it. That the results are positive in this case, is beautiful of course.”
It shows that generating and interpreting data on development and activity of plants can help growers to raise their cultivation to a higher level."

*Image: Leaf sensor measures photosynthesis.