Anthony Roth, Greenhouse Research Manager
Evan Hansen, RSA NW Iowa, SW Minnesota
Nitrogen loss is one of the most persistent challenges in modern crop production. Farmers apply nutrients to feed their crops, but a significant portion is often lost through leaching, volatilization, or microbial imbalance. Conventional synthetic fertilizers are highly soluble and fast-acting, but they can overwhelm soil systems that lack the biology to hold and cycle nutrients efficiently. This results in wasted fertilizer, lower profits, and environmental concerns.
QLF’s Liquid Carbon-Based Fertilizers (L-CBF) incorporate sugar cane molasses, offering a biologically balanced alternative. Instead of relying only on chemical inputs, these programs use organic carbon to feed soil microbes, improve soil structure, and sync nutrient release with plant demand. The key is understanding how carbon supports the life in your soil.
Feeding Soil Life to Improve Nutrient Efficiency
Molasses provides a rich, readily available source of carbon, sugars, and trace minerals. These compounds are an immediate food source for beneficial microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. When microbial populations are active and healthy, they play a vital role in nutrient cycling. They convert nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur into forms plants can use, while also storing excess nutrients in their own biomass. This living “nutrient bank” reduces losses that happen when nutrients are left unbound in the soil.
Reducing Nitrogen Loss Pathways
Carbon-based fertilizers from QLF help moderate nutrient release, which prevents the sharp spikes that lead to leaching and volatilization. For instance, when you apply nitrogen with a carbohydrate rich molasses source, the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the soil increases, which encourages microbes to incorporate nitrogen into their biomass for growth, temporarily reducing its availability to plants and other organisms. This process helps prevent nitrogen leaching and allows for gradual release as microbial populations turn over. As plants grow and release root exudates, these microbes gradually release the nitrogen back into the soil, timed perfectly with the crop’s needs. This biological timing greatly improves nitrogen use efficiency.
The QLF Nitrogen Advantage
A primary application for L-CBF BOOST, QLF Agronomy’s concentrated carbon-based fertilizer, is that it works well with urea ammonium nitrate (UAN). Whether used in pre-plant broadcasting, planter applications, or side-dressing, replacing 10-20% of UAN with L-CBF BOOST improves nitrogen use efficiency and can also increases the availability of phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients.
A set of 13 field trials across four locations showed that adding 10% L-CBF BOOST to a grower’s fertility program increased corn yield by an average of 7.75 bushels per acre. With typical UAN prices ranging between $425 and $500 per ton, the breakeven yield improvement is only 1.00 to 1.75 bushels per acre. This means the 7.75-bushel gain provides a strong positive return on investment. As the chart in the downloadable calculator shows, the ROI increases as UAN prices rise, reaching about $28 per acre when UAN costs $500 per ton. Ultimately, using L-CBF BOOST helps offset rising nitrogen costs by improving yield and increasing your return.
Download our calculator HERE to calculate your own estimated return on investment from using L-CBF BOOST.
Building Long-Term Soil Health and Profitability
By reducing nutrient loss and improving nutrient uptake, carbon-based fertility programs enhance crop yields and can lower input costs over time. Fields managed with QLF’s molasses-based fertilizers are proven to increase microbial activity and diversity, which can build organic matter and help crops become more resilient to stress. Instead of chasing fertility each year, farmers can build a system where nutrients are recycled and retained. This approach turns the soil from a passive medium for fertilizer into an active living partner in crop production.