Organic nitrogen: what it is and how it is supplied
Nitrogen is the most applied nutrient and the worst used. Organic farming rules out synthetic urea and ammonium nitrate, so the question stops being how much nitrogen you apply and becomes what form you apply it in. Ecoganic supplies it as organic nitrogen from amino acids and freshwater microalgae extract, with the organic fraction declared product by product.
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of the nitrogen in NITROTECH 16 is organic: 15.80 % out of 15.87 % total N
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more bell pepper yield while cutting UAN32 — University of Arizona
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total amino acids in NITROTECH 16, the form that nitrogen travels in
What «organic nitrogen» actually means
«Organic nitrogen» is not a chemical form: it is a legal and an agronomic distinction at once. Legally, a nitrogen fertilizer is usable in organic production when its origin and process fit what Regulation (EU) 2018/848 allows; synthetic urea and ammonium nitrate fall outside it. Agronomically, what changes is that the nitrogen travels bound to carbon — in amino acids, peptides and proteins — instead of loose as nitrate or ammonium.
That difference has practical consequences. Mineral nitrogen is available from the first irrigation, but it is also the easiest to lose: nitrate leaches with drainage water and ammonium volatilises when pH and temperature allow. Organic nitrogen enters the soil inside a carbon molecule, and that molecule must be taken up or mineralised before the nitrogen is released.
Total nitrogen and organic nitrogen are not the same
A fertilizer label declares total nitrogen. How much of that total is organic is a separate figure, and not every manufacturer breaks it out. It is the number that decides whether you are buying organic nitrogen or a blend with mineral nitrogen inside.
The C/N ratio tells you what it is made of
The organic carbon alongside the nitrogen is measured the same way. In NITROTECH 16 that is 49.4 % organic carbon against 15.87 % nitrogen: a C/N ratio of 3.1, typical of a proteinaceous material rather than a plant residue.
Amino acids are the vehicle
Across the Ecoganic range the nitrogen arrives as amino acids from bioreactor-grown freshwater microalgae. NITROTECH 16 declares 98.4 % total amino acids: practically the whole product is the molecule that carries the nitrogen.
No chloride or sodium to begin with
The source is fresh water, not marine seaweed. That is why these products do not drag in the chloride and sodium that penalise sensitive crops. Chloride is measured at an accredited laboratory, not merely declared.
Organic fraction of nitrogen by product
Values marked as measured come from laboratory analysis; the rest are as declared on the datasheet.
| Product | Total N | Organic N | of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| NITROTECH 16 | 15,87 % | 15,80 % | 99,6 % |
| BALANCE 9-4-4 | 9 % | 9,00 % | 100,0 % |
| NITROTECH 8 | ≥ 8 % | 7,65 % | 92,0 % |
The nitrogen range, with its analysis
| Product | NPK | Total N | Organic N | Amino acids | Form | pH | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NITROTECH 2.5 | 2,5-0-0 | ≥ 2,5 % | not broken out | 19,80 % | Liquid | 6,40 | 1,07 ± 0,01 kg/L |
| NITROTECH 8 | 8-0-0 | ≥ 8 % | 7,65 % | 35 % | Liquid | 5,6 ± 1,00 | 1,18 ± 0,01 kg/L |
| NITROTECH 10 | 10-0-0 | 9,96 % | not broken out | 60,90 % | Liquid | 5,6 ± 1,00 | 1,25 ± 0,01 kg/L |
| NITROTECH 16 | 16-0-0 | 15,87 % | 15,80 % | 98,4 % | Soluble powder | — | 0,54–0,60 g/ml |
Values marked as measured come from laboratory analysis; the rest are as declared on the datasheet.
See the nitrogen products →What happened when part of the mineral nitrogen was replaced
The two trials below are not ours. They were run by a public university and by a sugar company, with randomised block designs and a named researcher. That is the difference between an argument and a data point.
Bell pepper: more yield with less UAN32
University of Arizona, Yuma. Researcher: Kurt Nolte PhD. Randomised complete blocks, 4 blocks × 3 application rates, furrow irrigation, 2013 and 2014 seasons. Part of the UAN32 — a liquid mineral nitrogen source — was replaced with NITROTECH 10 in fertigation.
| Treatment | Value | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| UAN32 estándar | 16.046 kg/plot | — |
| UAN32 reducido + NITROTECH 10 (2 lb/ac) | 17.850 kg/plot | +11,2 % |
| UAN32 reducido + NITROTECH 10 (8 lb/ac) | 18.151 kg/plot | +13,1 % |
Cutting the mineral input did not cut yield: cumulative yield rose 11.2 % at the lowest rate and 13.1 % at the fourfold rate. Fruit count followed (+9.2 % and +11.5 %), so this is not an isolated size effect.
University of Arizona — Kurt Nolte PhD, Yuma, Arizona (USA), 2013-2014
Sugar beet: root yield and recoverable sugar
Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC, Nampa, Idaho. Researcher: Oliver T. Neher. Variety BTS 2523, randomised complete blocks with 5 replications, 4 rows per plot. The most rigorous trial in the series.
| Treatment | Value | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Testigo | 54,41 tons/acre | — |
| NITROTECH 10 | 58,97 tons/acre | +8,4 % |
| NITROTECH 10 + K-FLOW | 60,44 tons/acre | +11,1 % |
NITROTECH 10 on its own gave +8.4 % root yield and +10.4 % estimated recoverable sugar. Combined with K-FLOW, +11.1 % root and 1,601 lb/acre more sugar. In beet that counts twice: the grower is paid on tonnage and on sugar content.
Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC — Oliver T. Neher, Nampa, Idaho (USA), 2022
Soluble sugars in vegetables
With three monthly foliar applications of NITROTECH 10, BRIX rose in zucchini (4 → 5 °Bx), cucumber (6 → 7 °Bx) and melon (14 → 15 °Bx). Watermelon did not move: 10 °Bx before and after.
Field trial contributed by a grower, not by an institution. We publish it with that label — and the null result in watermelon too.
Which regulation says what
Two European rules covering different things get mixed up constantly. Worth separating them before you buy.
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1009
- Defines what a fertilising product is and what it may claim. It splits products into product function categories: an organic fertiliser and a plant biostimulant are not the same category and cannot promise the same things. A biostimulant may claim nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress or quality traits; it may not claim action against pests or diseases.
- Regulation (EU) 2018/848
- Governs organic production. This is the one that decides whether a fertiliser can be used on a certified holding. A product can comply with 2019/1009 and still not be allowed in organic — and the other way round.
- NOP (USDA Organic)
- The United States organic standard. Required if the harvest is destined for the US market.
- JAS
- Japanese Agricultural Standard, the Japanese equivalent for organic production.
Ecoganic makes no plant protection claim on any product. The declared function is nutritional and nutrient use efficiency, which is what the biostimulant framework allows.
See the certifications and how to verify them →How it is applied
These are the rates stated on each product datasheet. Timing depends on the crop and the phenological stage — that is what the crop programmes are for.
- NITROTECH 2.5Foliar 200–300 cc/100 L · Fertigation 3–6 L/ha
- NITROTECH 83–6 L/ha or 200–300 cc/100 L
- NITROTECH 103–7 L/ha or 300–700 cc/100 L
- NITROTECH 16Foliar 200–300 g/100 L · Fertigation 3–5 kg/ha
NITROTECH 16 is a soluble powder; the other three are liquids. That difference matters for tank loading order.
Frequently asked questions about organic nitrogen
What is organic nitrogen?
It is nitrogen supplied in a form allowed by Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production, which excludes synthetic urea and ammonium nitrate. In practice it arrives bound to carbon, inside amino acids, peptides or proteins, rather than loose as nitrate or ammonium.
Can mineral nitrogen be replaced with organic nitrogen?
Partially, and one trial measured it. At the University of Arizona part of the UAN32 was replaced with NITROTECH 10 on bell pepper: cumulative yield rose 11.2 % at the lowest rate and 13.1 % at the fourfold rate, with more fruit per plant. The replacement was partial, not total.
How much organic nitrogen does each product carry?
NITROTECH 16 declares 15.80 % organic nitrogen out of 15.87 % measured total nitrogen — 99.6 % of the total. BALANCE 9-4-4 declares 9.00 % organic nitrogen out of 9 % total. NITROTECH 8 declares 7.65 % organic nitrogen against a total stated as a minimum (≥ 8 %); its own datasheet puts that fraction at 92 %, which places the real total at around 8.3 %. The NITROTECH 2.5 and NITROTECH 10 datasheets declare total nitrogen but do not break out the organic fraction.
Is organic nitrogen slower?
It behaves differently, not necessarily more slowly. Mineral nitrogen is available from the first irrigation and is also the easiest to lose to leaching or volatilisation. Organic nitrogen enters inside a carbon molecule that must be taken up or mineralised, which spreads availability over time rather than concentrating it.
Is it usable on a certified organic holding?
That decision is not the manufacturer's: it belongs to your control body, for the specific product and the specific batch. Our certifications page states which standards cover the range — Regulation (EU) 2018/848, NOP USDA Organic and JAS — and how to verify a given product before applying it.
Can it be tank-mixed with other fertilizers?
It depends on the product and on the loading order. We publish a mixing compatibility tool for pairs of products, with the pH and density of each, so you can check before preparing the tank.