Half the Nitrogen, Full Potential: A Sustainable Solution for Sugar Beet

As pressure mounts to reduce fertiliser-related emissions and nitrate pollution, farmers are searching for smarter ways to deliver nitrogen to crops. New UK research shows that Lono—a stabilised amine nitrogen fertiliser from Levity Crop Science—can deliver that solution. By improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and guiding crop growth where it’s most effective, Lono allows sugar beet growers to halve their nitrogen rates while maintaining or even improving yield and sugar content.

How Lono Works

Lono is based on stabilised amine nitrogen, protected by Levity’s proprietary LimiN technology. Unlike nitrate fertiliser, which must be converted by the plant using energy, amine N is absorbed directly and triggers hormonal responses—such as enhanced cytokinin production in roots. This improves root architecture, enabling better water and nutrient uptake, and shifts the plant’s energy use from excessive top growth to building roots and storage organs.

Smarter Growth: The Right Phenotype

Conventional nitrogen fertiliser promotes excessive leaf growth, which can drain energy and reduce harvest index. Lono’s stabilised amine form changes this dynamic. It helps sugar beet grow where it counts—by stimulating root development, increasing sugar accumulation, and reducing vegetative bloat. Crops treated with Lono display a more compact, efficient canopy and deeper, more robust roots.

“We’ve consistently seen that Lono changes the way crops grow—not just bigger, but smarter. This is about improving efficiency, not just replacing nitrogen.” — Levity Research Team

UK Trial Results: Yield and Efficiency

A large-scale replicated 2024 field trial in the UK compared standard grower nitrogen programs with reduced nitrogen programs supplemented by one or two Lono applications. The outcomes were striking:

• 50% fertiliser + 2x Lono produced the highest yield: 122.7 t/ha
• Sugar content was >6% higher than grower standard
• Plant population and canopy development significantly improved
• Root phenotype shifted toward longer, denser beets without yield penalty

“Our trials prove that it’s possible to produce more with less. Lono gives sugar beet exactly what it needs to thrive—without the waste.” — David Marks, Levity Crop Science

What It Means for sustainability and Profitability

The nitrogen saving potential of this system is immense. Globally, sugar beet is grown on 4.56 million hectares. If growers adopted the Lono approach, cutting nitrogen use by 50% (approx. 65 kg/ha), it would save 296,400 tonnes of nitrogen annually.

Ammonium nitrate fertiliser production and use typically results in an estimated 6.3 kg CO₂e per kg of nitrogen applied (Brentrup et al., 2000). That equates to a carbon saving of 1.87 million tonnes of CO₂e per year. This reduction is equivalent to removing over 410,000 passenger cars from the road each year, underscoring how smart fertiliser technology contributes not only to crop productivity but also sustainability.

At the farm level, reducing nitrogen inputs cuts costs, while Lono’s physiological benefits improve yield and quality. Farmers using Lono can achieve more output with less fertiliser, leading to higher margins and reduced environmental impact—a win-win.

“Lono helps farmers meet sustainability goals while improving profitability. It’s rare to find a fertiliser that delivers both.” — Levity Agronomy Team

How to Apply Lono

Lono should be applied as a foliar treatment using standard farm spraying equipment. For sugar beet: – Apply 2 litres per hectare at the 4-6 leaf stage (BBCH 14-16). – Follow up with a second application of 2 litres per hectare 2–3 weeks later. This should be done alongside a 50% reduction in conventional nitrogen inputs to optimise both yield and efficiency. – Lono can be tank-mixed with most crop protection products, but a jar test is recommended.

Two well-timed applications deliver the best results in terms of canopy development, root architecture, and sugar content.

References

• Brentrup, F., Küsters, J., Kuhlmann, H., & Lammel, J. (2000). Environmental impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment methodology. 1. Theoretical concept of a LCA method tailored to crop production. European Journal of Agronomy, 20(3), 247–264.
• Levity Crop Science (2024). Lono Sugar Beet Independent Trial Final Report.
• DEFRA (2023). Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2023. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
  AHDB Sugar (2023). Sugar Beet Production Guide.