LITHOVIT®: An Innovative
Fertilizer
B. A. Bilal Formatvorlage des Untertitelmasters durch Klicken bearbeiten
Scientific advisor to ZEOVITA GmbH
profdrabilal@aol.com, prof.abdel.bilal@zeovita.de
Presented at the 3rd e-Conference on Agricultural BioSciences
(IeCAB 2010), held online from1st -15th June 2010 at
http://www.m.elewa.org/econferenceIeCAB.php
LITHOVIT
What a remarkable name !
•LITHO (Greek) means stone
•VIT from vita (Latin) refers to life.
•LITHOVIT: meaning alive stone?
• Stones (minerals) like Dolomite can be subjected to special
treatment so that they are able to affect the functions of plants
and improve them.
•Lithovit is a stone that helps the plants to grow and to thrive
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Effect of Lithovit on photosynthesis:
the most important function in plant growth
3rd IeCAB June 2010
LITHOVIT:
Discovery and development process
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We looked for a substance containing high quantities of CO2
in bond form.
Materials to be harmless to humans, animals &
environment.
Material was converted in a technical process into a foliar
fertilizer that releases CO2 at high concentration.
The release must take place inside the leaves as well as
directly on the leaf surface in order to diffuse
instantaneously into he leaf.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Lithovit: how the 4 conditions are fulfilled.
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Use the mineral Dolomite which consists of Calcium or
Magnesium carbonate.
Dolomite was milled in Hitec-Nano-millsat 20,000 rpm to
extremely fine powder (LITHOVIT).
Once sprayed as an aqueous suspension, particles penetrate
through the stomata and into the leaf (inside cells).
During the milling process the particles are highly activated
by means of tribodynamic activation which enables the CO2
to release in the intercellular compartment (mechanism 1)
as well as right at the leaf surface (mechanism 2)
3rd IeCAB June 2010
What is Tribodynamic Activation?
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Keep in mind that energy never can’t be destroyed nor newly created.
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Energy can only be transformed from one form to another.
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Only a small part of the very high mechanical energy produced in the
Hitec-Nano-Mills is converted to heat due to friction.
Most of the energy is converted (tribodynamically) to activation energy
of the particles due to the very high speed of their collision.
The activation energy is manifested in breaking the chemical bond
between crystal lattices, deformation of the lattice and polarization of
the electric charge within the particles in such way that their negative
charge is shifted to the surface, whereas the positive charge remains
more or less at the centre.
The polarization of particles charge is the most important form of their
activation.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Mechanism 1: within plant cells
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Lithovit particles penetrate into the intercellular
compartment and dock with their negatively charged surface
on the outside of the cell membrane and induce a negative
potential which attracts the positive hydrogen ions formed
in the first step of the photosynthesis through the
membrane to outside. These dock on the carbonate groups
of the Lithovit particles forming carbonic acid which
decomposes to carbon dioxide and water.
Not all Lithovit particles penetrate at once through the
stomata.
Most particles remain on the leaves surface and penetrate
frequently when they get wet at night by dew.
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Mechanism 1: Within plant cells
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Mechanism 2: on leaf surface
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(Ca, Mg)CO3 + H2O + CO2 <------> (Ca, Mg)(HCO3)2
At night Lithovit takes CO2 from the atmosphere as well as from plant
respiration and H2O from dew as well as from plant respiration and is converted
to hydrogen carbonate .
During the day the temperature increases, the water evaporates out of the
equilibrium which therefore shifts to the left hand side forming back Lithovit
(carbonate form).
This change sets CO2 at high concentration right at the leaf surface, which
diffuses instantaneously through the stomata.
Lithovit therefore acts as a long term reservoir supplying plants with CO2.
The kinetic barrier of the reaction above is overcome by the tribodynamic
activation of the Lithovit particles.
Mechanism 2 is based on the thermodynamic equilibrium
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Benefits of LITHOVIT
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Increases yield and improves quality and storage properties
of crop especially when plants are subject to stress.
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Reduces water requirement due to higher drought tolerance.
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Intensifies growth and green coloration.
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Enhances plant resistance against frost, insects and fungi.
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Enhances plant supply with essential micro nutrients.
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Recommended by European Community for organic farming
according to EWG 2092/91.
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Lithovit in Post Harvest fruit
conservation
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In the ripening process, the amino acid methionine is converted in
two steps to the compound Amino Cyclopropane Carboxylic acid
(ACC).
ACC is oxidized by oxygen(O2) in the presence of ascorbic acid,
under catalysis of Fe (II) ions and ACC-Oxydase enzyme (ACCO) to
Ethylene, CO2 and H2O.
Ethylene acts as a ripening hormone that breaks down chlorophyll
and photosynthetic activity and increases activity of the enzyme
responsible for ripening so that starch and organic acids are
converted to sugar.
Lithovit is CO2 supplier which, according to thermodynamics, pushes
the reaction against the ACC oxidation and Ethylene formation.
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Effect of Lithovit on plant resistance to
drought and frost
The factors responsible for opening and closing the stomata are:
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1. The structure of the closing cells (surrounding the stomata pore). The
walls around the pore are thick and inelastic, while those directed to the
neighboring cells and covering the intercellular compartment are thin
and elastic. On water transport inside the closing cells, the thin walls
stretch and the cells swell to outside, the walls surrounding the pore
become concave and the stomata opens. Vice versa, water transport out
of the closing cells leads to their shrinking, tightening around the
stomata pore to close it.
2. The osmotic pressure (and water activity) in the closing cells
compared to that in neighboring cells and intercellular compartment.
When it gets hot water evaporates from the intercellular compartment,
the concentration of solved species increases producing higher osmotic
pressure (decreasing water activity). Water moves out of the closing cells
which shrink, and tighten around the pore to close it.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Effect of Lithovit on plant resistance to drought
and frost (cont’d)
• After its conversion into CO2 and ionic species Lithovit
increases the osmotic pressure in the intercellular
compartment, so that water moves out of the closing cells
and the stomata closes. Inspite of this photosynthesis is still
going on due to CO2 supply from inside the leaves.
• The increased formation of the metabolic products in plant
cells due to increasing photosynthesis leads
thermodynamically to decreasing the freezing point of cell
water and hence higher resistance of the plants to frost.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Applications of Lithovit
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Lithovit is used normally as 0.5% aqueous suspension and is sprayed in 2 - 3
applications. Total quantity needed is only 1.5 kg / hectare.
It has been successfully applied on different crops (information available on
request) in Europe, middle East, Asia, USA, South America, and Africa in the
following crops:
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wheat, barley, rice, maize, oilseed rape, bean, sun flower, beet, potato,
sweet potato, pome fruit (apple, pear), stone fruit (cherry, plum, peach,
apricot), currants, strawberry, citrus, olive, banana, grapevine, soybean,
cotton, peanut, hop, bulb vegetables (e.g. garlic, leek), root and stem
vegetables (e.g. carrot, radish),leaf vegetables forming head (e.g. lettuce,
endive), other brassica vegetables (e.g. cauliflower, broccoli), cucurbits (e.g.
cucumber, melon, pumpkin, water melon), solanaceous fruits(e.g. tomato,
Egg plant, paprika), pea, haricot bean and sugarcane.
For more details see: “BBCH- recommended Lithovit applications on different
crops”, IeCAB 2010, Bilal B.A.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Challenges in mixed applications
with herbicides, insecticides, fungicides
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Lithovit can normally be mixed with herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or other
fertilizers.
In rare cases when it shows incompatibility, the pH of the mixed agent and of the
final mixture is significant:
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If the pH of the mixture is acidic (< 5.5) Lithovit dissolves setting CO2 already
free before use.
If the pH is alkaline (> 9.8 - 10), the Magnesium in the Lithovit precipitates as
Mg(OH)2, a gel which closes the nozzles of the sprayer.
Addition of too much soluble Mg-salts like MgSO4 leads to excess solubility of
Mg(OH)2 and hence to its precipitation. Such precipitation can be avoided on
adding Ammonium Chloride or Ammonium Nitrate before mixing.
If Agents containing Phosphate (such as Glyphosate) are to be mixed, the
addition of Ammonium Chloride must be avoided.
3rd IeCAB June 2010
Results obtained using Lithovit
See separate presentation on
“ selected results obtained after applying
Lithovit on different crops”
Bilal B.A.
IeCAB 2010
3rd IeCAB June 2010