Crop protection, nutrient and seed treatment distributor West Central has introduced a new pure chelating agent that maximizes nutrient efficiency. This company news release says Levesol, exclusively from West Central, is made from the purest ortho-ortho EDDHA chelating agent that exists and is the only pure chelating agent that can be mixed directly with liquid fertilizer and applied in-furrow.

Crops start demanding nutrients right away, but most can’t efficiently utilize what’s near them in the soil during early development. Levesol overcomes this to make micronutrients in the soil, such as zinc, iron, copper and manganese, all more available for early uptake. After uptake, the chelate increases translocation within the plant. By keeping micronutrients in a soluble form, Levesol prevents them from binding with phosphorus. This leaves more phosphorus free for uptake and increases overall nutrient efficiency.

Market research shows that over 90% of farmers know they have a problem with nutrients in the soil being unavailable to plants. To combat this, farmers commonly add phosphorus and zinc to the soil to maximize yields. However, those two molecules tie each other up very quickly and become unavailable to plants, resulting in wasted money for growers. “Levesol prevents that tie up and makes both the micronutrients and the phosphorus in the soil more available to plants, consequently maximizing nutrient efficiency, “ says Josh Nuytten, director of proprietary business for West Central. “Chelation improves the availability of nutrients both in starter fertilizer and the soil.”

The company goes on to say soil extraction studies show up to 36 percent more phosphorus and even higher levels of micronutrient availability when applying a starter fertilizer program with Levesol versus without, significant because it results in a faster and more even emergence for better yields.