Q. What is Limus®?
‍A. Urease inhibitor technology from BASF, Limus® was introduced to the UK market over 5 years ago. BASF has been working closely with industry partners to demonstrate how inhibited urea can benefit the grower by improving nitrogen use efficiency whilst improving air quality by reducing ammonia emissions.

• Available for solid fertiliser (Limus® protected urea) and liquid (Limus® Perform)

• Yield improvements of over 5% from untreated urea/UAN in a variety of crops

• The only urease inhibitor product containing the NPPT active, which increases efficacy by 40% over straight NBPT and has been proven to provide a 3% yield uplift, according to ADAS trials.

• Reduction in ammonia emissions by up to 98% and improvement in nitrogen use efficiency

‍

Q. How can it be as good as Ammonium Nitrate?
‍A. Limus® is protecting the ammoniacal nitrogen in the urea from volatilising which means that more of the ammonium is available to the crop. Limus® is reducing losses to the environment.

In over 70 BASF trials, Limus® treated with urea performed the same as AN & CAN. This was also observed in Agronomics Trials hosted by ADAS over a number of years and in various locations.

‍

Do I need to alter my application timings if I switch from Ammonium Nitrate?
‍A. The timing of all fertilisers should always be what is agronomically best for the crop regardless of which product is being used. If there are restrictions of use for a product which prohibit or compromise the use of a fertiliser product at the correct timing, an alternate should be used.

Limus® protected urea can be applied at all timings when ammonium nitrate would be used in emerged arable crops.

Crops and timings when urea (treated or untreated) would not be appropriate - e.g. some sensitive salad crops, or in the seedbed of some crops - should be avoided. Ongoing work is being undertaken with these.

‍

Q. Why is it yellow? Is this just a coating?
‍A. The yellow is a colourant that is added to Limus® so that urea which has been treated is easily identified from untreated urea.

Limus® is not a coating. It is absorbed throughout the urea granule, not just coated on the surface.

‍

Q. Is Limus® a slow-release coating for granules?
‍A. Limus® is not a coating on the granules of urea. Limus® is absorbed all through the granules and acts upon the urease enzymes in the soil. It does not change the speed of which the granule breaks down in the soil. As the urea granule breaks down upon contact with the soil water, the Limus® binds to the urease enzymes in the soil.

‍

Q. What happens if I need to carry over Limus® from one season to the next? / How long can I safely store Limus® protected Urea?
‍A. BASF support the use and storage of Limus® protected urea that has been stored in a closed bag for up to 12 months.

‍

Q. Will the nitrogen release from urea in cold weather conditions be too slow for an optimal nitrogen supply. Is a stabilized urea further slowing down the nitrogen-release and leading to a nitrogen-under supply?‍

A. No. If the temperature is so low that there is no transition of urea to ammonia, plants are also not actively taking up nitrogen. Under such conditions, there is also enough plant available nitrogen in the soil to cover the low needs of the crop.

‍

Q. Does soil type and soil pH affect product performance?
‍A. Soils differ in many parameters. Soil properties that can change the rate of ammonia volatilisation and the interaction with Limus® are:

• pH - higher soil pH results in greater ammonia losses, therefore the greater the need for Limus®

• CEC (cation exchange capacity) - the lower the CEC, the higher the ammonia losses, therefore the greater the need for Limus®

• Urease activity in the soil - the higher the activity, also depending on the urease enzyme composition, the greater the losses of ammonia, therefore the greater the need for more Limus®.

‍

Q. Is Limus® also suitable for no-till crop production systems?
‍A. Yes, it is particularly suitable for no-till systems as incorporation of urea into the soil will mitigate ammonia losses. Urease activity in no-till systems is higher compared to conventional cropping systems.

‍

Q. Is the product treated at the manufacturing plant? Is the Urea made by BASF?
‍A. Our partners source urea independently. BASF have chosen partners that source reliable and high-quality urea. Limus® is then applied to the urea prior to bagging at a partner’s plant.

‍

Q. Does Limus® affect spread patterns of urea?
‍A. Best practice is that each new product which is used in the fertiliser spreader should be tray tested and calibrated. Some machinery will have settings for treated urea, others may not. Refer to your machinery manufacturer’s guide.

‍

Q. Does it leave a build-up of residue on the spreader vanes?
‍A. Urea is hydroscopic and will absorb some moisture from the atmosphere. The lower the relative humidity the more likely that build up may occur on vanes. Some fertiliser spreaders may be more greatly affected than others.

Observations of residue build-up on spreader vanes are more likely when applying urea compared to other fertilisers. The colourant in Limus® often makes it appear worse and highlights build up more than untreated urea.

‍

Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to www.agricentre.basf.co.uk. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact your local BASF Agronomy Manager or the BASF Technical Services Hotline: 0845 602 2553. Limus® contains N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide – NBPT and N-propyl- thiophosphoric triamide – NPPT. © BASF 2024. All rights reserved.‍