ICL has launched Bioz Kellus, an innovative chelate that also acts as a biostimulant, delivering faster nutrient uptake and stronger plant resilience.
The product represents a shift from traditional fertilisers and focuses not just on how much nutrient reaches the soil or leaf, but on how plants actually use them at the cellular level.
“We are reshaping the definition of plant nutrition,” says Dr. Eduardo Lopes Cancellier, ICL’s Biostimulants Agronomy Specialist. “We are moving away from the era of thinking only in kilograms of elements per hectare. Our focus is on maximising the plant’s ability to absorb and use nutrients efficiently, while supporting overall health and resilience.”
Traditional chelates often contain only a fraction of usable nutrient, with the remainder of the product of no use to the plant and potentially accumulating in the environment. Bioz Kellus flips the model by creating a carrier module that is biologically active and fully biodegradable. It combines peptide-based molecules with organic acids to release nutrients and trigger biostimulant effects inside the plant.
In advanced trials at the University of São Paulo’s Centre for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, scientists used synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence, a cutting-edge technique more commonly used in physics, to track nutrient movement in real time. Results showed Bioz Kellus accelerated zinc absorption through leaves in just 13 hours, outperforming traditional chelates and insoluble salts.
“Faster nutrient uptake brings greater safety and efficiency to farmers. Applications are less likely to be washed by rainfall, and plants respond quicker.”
Field trials also demonstrated protective biostimulant effects. When applied alongside glyphosate, plants showed no signs of typical herbicide injury, with new leaves emerging green and healthy. Further trials confirmed Bioz Kellus achieved the highest nutrient relocation rate within the first 50 hours, activating plant physiological processes more consistently.
Laboratory tests also confirmed 100% biodegradation within 22 days, addressing concerns over persistent chelating agents and aligning with greener agricultural inputs and regenerative agriculture.
“Already patented and commercialised in Brazil as a biofertiliser, Bioz Kellus is poised to set new standards in agriculture when it comes to safety and performance of chelated micronutrients.”
