Redefining Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Oilseed Rape with Lono

Oilseed rape (OSR) production demands high nitrogen input—but that often comes at a cost: excessive vegetative growth, nitrogen leaching, and carbon emissions. At Levity Crop Science, we’ve developed Lono, a functional fertiliser that changes the game.

Conventional nitrogen fertilisers—though available in various forms including nitrate, ammonium, and even amine—are predominantly taken up by the plant as nitrate. Even when applied in other forms, they are quickly converted in the soil due to microbial activity. These conversions make the nitrogen highly unstable, resulting in significant losses through leaching, volatilisation, and denitrification. Research shows that up to 70% of conventional nitrogen can be lost before it is ever utilised by the crop.

In OSR, this inefficiency doesn’t just waste resources—it actively drives the wrong kind of growth. Excess nitrate availability encourages vegetative dominance, resulting in lush leaf growth, increased risk of lodging, and delayed maturity, often without delivering a matching increase in yield.

Lono, in contrast, uses stabilised amine nitrogen that resists conversion, ensuring that more of the applied nitrogen is actually taken up in its beneficial form—supporting reproductive growth and efficient resource use rather than excessive foliage.

In OSR, growth allocation decisions are made early in the crop’s development. Lono is applied at two critical growth stages:

1. BBCH 21–25 (early leaf development): At this stage, Lono supports root development and vegetative balance, setting up the plant’s architecture without pushing excessive leaf growth.
2. BBCH 31–39 (stem elongation to bud formation): Here, Lono shifts the growth focus toward reproduction, increasing flowering sites and improving pod formation.

These timings align perfectly with the crop’s natural transitions between vegetative and reproductive phases—guiding growth rather than forcing it. The result is a phenotype optimised for yield, not undirected plant growth.

Real-World Results: Independent Polish Trials

Independent field trials on 7 OSR varieties in Poland tested Lono Ca (calcium formulation) using 20% less nitrogen than grower standard. Applications were:

• 2 x 5 L/ha, total 10 L/ha
• Applied at BBCH 21–25 and BBCH 31–39

What the Results Mean for Farmers

The results from the Polish OSR trials are remarkably significant. Lono Ca, applied at just 10 L/ha across two timings, enabled farmers to reduce total nitrogen inputs by 20%—a major cost and environmental saving—wiOilseed rape (OSR) production demands high nitrogen input—but that often comes at a cost: excessive vegetative growth, nitrogen leaching, and carbon emissions. At Levity Crop Science, we’ve developed Lono, a functional fertiliser that changes the game.

Real-World Results: Independent Polish Trials

Independent field trials on 7 OSR varieties in Poland tested Lono Ca using 20% less nitrogen than grower standard. Applications were:

• 2 x 5 L/ha, total 10 L/ha
• Applied at BBCH 21–25 and BBCH 31–39

What the Results Mean for Farmers

The results from the Polish OSR trials are remarkably significant. Lono Ca, applied at just 10 L/ha across two timings, enabled farmers to reduce total nitrogen inputs by 20%—a major cost and environmental saving—without compromising yield. In fact, several varieties showed notable yield increases, with the standout variety, Mascara, recording a +11.76% boost in yield.

This is more than just an agronomic win—it’s a paradigm shift:

• Reduced Input, Increased Output: Traditionally, reducing nitrogen leads to lower yield. These trials prove that, with Lono, growers can break that trade-off, achieving both efficiency and productivity.
• Economic Benefit: Lower fertiliser use means reduced input costs, and the increased yield translates to higher income per hectare.
• Improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE): Farmers can extract more value from each kilogram of nitrogen applied—maximising return on investment.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture: Reducing nitrogen use cuts CO₂ emissions and nitrate pollution, helping growers meet sustainability targets without sacrificing yield.
• Consistency Across Varieties: All tested varieties responded positively, indicating broad applicability across hybrid and open-pollinated types.

Sustainability: Big Benefits at National Scale

What if major OSR producers adopted this Lono approach, replacing 20% of conventional N with 10L/Ha Lono?

And there’s more…

A Carbon Sequester? Yes, Really.

Let’s look at carbon in the crop:

• Each MT of OSR contains approx. 424 kg of CO₂e (crop carbon)
• In Polish trials, average extra yield = 0.29 MT/ha → 123 kg more carbon in the crop
• Meanwhile, Lono input = 14.76 kg CO₂e

That’s nearly 27x more carbon fixed than emitted.

Lono is not just low-emission. It’s net carbon-positive. You grow more crop and sequester more carbon than you emit.

“Levity are at the forefront of nitrogen science. Focusing purely on not wasting N to pollution is old fashioned. We are redefining nitrogen use efficiency by influencing where crops grow. These trials are just the start—we believe we can reduce inputs by far more. Watch this space.” — David Marks, Founder, Levity Crop Science

Application guidelines for Lono on OSR

• Rate: 2 x 5 L/ha
• Timing: BBCH 21–25 and 31–39
• Method: Foliar

Why It Matters

Lono is not just a fertiliser—it’s a tool to:

• Reduce total nitrogen by 20%
• Increase yield by up to 11.7%
• Cut carbon and nitrogen pollution
• Boost profitability for growers