Zeolite in Field Trials: What Long-Term Research Shows for Grain Yields
Updated: Oct 16
Natural zeolite is often sold as a soil conditioner with big promises. Buyers who blend soil improvers or supply farms need numbers they can check. This article sums up what published field research shows and what it does not show.
Where the data comes from
Professor A. Kh. Kulikova and her team at the P. A. Stolypin Ulyanovsk State Agrarian University (Russia) have studied siliceous rocks as fertilizers for about 25 years. The rocks they tested include diatomite, zeolite and opoka, all from the Middle Volga region. The trials ran on typical and leached chernozem soils. The crops included cereals, potatoes, vegetables and industrial crops.
The work was published in the peer-reviewed journal Agrokhimiya (Agricultural Chemistry), 2023, No. 12.
What the trials showed for corn
500 kg of zeolite per hectare: corn grain yield rose by 0.93 t/ha compared with the control.
2,000 kg per hectare: the increase reached 1.36 t/ha.
With nitrogen fertilizer: the yield gain was larger when zeolite was applied together with nitrogen than when it was used alone.
The last point matters most in practice. Zeolite does not replace fertilizer. It works best as part of a fertilizer program.
The same research found that potatoes, vegetables, sugar beet and sunflower also respond well to siliceous soil amendments.
Why zeolite helps
Natural zeolite is a porous mineral. Its structure can hold positively charged nutrients, such as ammonium and potassium, and release them to plant roots over time. This can reduce nutrient losses through leaching, especially on light soils. The same porous structure helps sandy and sandy loam soils hold moisture.
What the numbers do not tell you
Field results depend on soil type, climate, crop, fertilizer program and the zeolite rock itself. The trials above were run on chernozem soils in a temperate climate. Results on desert sands or tropical soils may be different. We recommend a trial on your own fields before a full-scale switch.
Our activated natural zeolite
Israway supplies thermally activated natural zeolite from the Tatar-Shatrashan deposit (Tatarstan, Russia). The deposit has 88.3 million tonnes of reserves, and the plant can produce up to 320,000 tonnes per year. The product is covered by an EAEU declaration of conformity.
Typical application rate for grain crops: 200–500 kg/ha (producer's recommendation)
Fractions for soil use: 0.2–0.8 mm, 0.8–2.5 mm and 2.5–5 mm; other fractions on request
Packaging: big bags of 700–800 kg, depending on the fraction, or 25 kg bags on pallets, 1 tonne per pallet
Minimum order: 20 tonnes
More about soil use: Zeolite for agriculture.
For soil-improver manufacturers
If you produce soil conditioners, potting mixes or fertilizer blends, zeolite can add nutrient-holding and water-holding capacity to your product. Contact us for a sample, a technical data sheet and a price for your fraction and volume.
Source: Kulikova A. Kh. Siliceous rocks in the fertilizer system of agricultural crops. Agrokhimiya, 2023, No. 12, pp. 11–21. DOI: 10.31857/S0002188123120104.
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