Wherever crops do not grow close to optimum, i.e. under unfavorable growing conditions and a wide variety of stress factors: in short, actually in every crop. Lithovit supports natural growth, plants treated with Lithovit are more vital, healthier, grow faster, cope better with extreme situations (e.g. wet and dry periods), are more resistant to diseases and pests and guarantee increased crop yield, quality and storability.

No. So far, all tests and applications with the commercial fertilizers have not shown any negative change in their mode of action.

When Lithovit is applied as prescribed, yields usually increase significantly and harvest quality is also visibly better. If, however, no increase in yield and/or improvement in quality can be observed, we will be happy to investigate the cause together. In the few cases in the past, unpredictable weather conditions or application errors were the main reasons.

During the high-tech grinding process, an extremely high level of mechanical energy is introduced into the system. Energy can neither be destroyed nor created, but only converted from one form to another. Only a small part of this mechanical energy is converted into heat by friction. The largest part, however, is converted into activation energy of the fine particles. During the collision of fine particles hurled at very high velocity, their lattices are deformed not only in the surface layer but also in some underlying layers. However, the most important form of activation is that the electric charges within the ultrafine particles polarize in such a way that the negative charges are shifted toward the surface, while the positive charges remain practically in the center. This charge polarization plays the decisive role for CO₂ -release from lithovite.

No. On the contrary. This layer acts as a long-term depot, supplying the plant with important minerals, trace elements and CO₂ directly on the leaf surface over a longer period of time. The CO₂ diffuses right through the stomata into the intercellular space to enhance photosynthesis.

There are two mechanisms by which CO₂ is released from Lithovit:

First mechanism: The Lithovit fine particles entering the intercellular space dock with their negative surface to the cell membrane and generate a negative potential there. In the first step of photosynthesis inside the cell, water is split. This produces protons (positive hydrogen ions). These are attracted by the negative potential through the membrane, dock to the negative carbonate groups on the surface of the lithovite fine particles forming unstable carbonic acid, which decomposes into CO₂ and water.

Second mechanism: The carbonate of lithovite remaining on the leaf surface absorbs both CO₂ from the atmosphere and from plant respiration and water from dew and from plant respiration at night, and is thereby converted to hydrogen carbonate in a thermodynamic equilibrium reaction. During the day, the temperature rises and the water evaporates, thus removing it from thermodynamic equilibrium. The reaction is thus shifted to the left side with reversion of the carbonate and CO₂, which is formed directly at the leaf surface and immediately diffuses through the stomata into the intercellular space. This "ping-pong" effect supplies the plant with CO₂ as long as the Lithovit layer exists on the leaf.

In rare cases, the pH value of the admixed agent, as well as the pH value of the final mixture, cause problems:

• If the pH falls below 5.0, the Lithovit fine particles dissolve releasing the CO₂ and thus preventing a fertilization effect.
• If the pH exceeds 9.8-10, the Mg(OH)₂ is precipitated and clogs the spray nozzles. This also happens when large amounts of magnesium ions are added to the suspension, e.g. by adding Epsom salt (MgSO₄). Such precipitation can be prevented by adding small amounts of ammonium salts, e.g. ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride (both are fertilizers). How much ammonium salt should be added depends on the final pH of the mixture, on the concentration of the lithovite suspension and, of course, on the amount of magnesium salt added and must be calculated on a case-by-case basis.
• If agents containing phosphates, e.g. the herbicide glyphosate, are to be added, the addition of ammonium salts is prohibited, as poorly soluble magnesium-ammonium-phosphate salts are formed, which also clog the spray nozzles.

No. Al toxicity takes place in the root zone, with positively charged Al ions docking to specific root tissue sites and blocking calcium transport as a complex by consuming the necessary ligands for their own complexation. Positively charged Al ions can only exist in acidic soil. Lithovite is used as a foliar fertilizer where it does not cause toxicity. In addition, the pH of the suspension is weakly alkaline.

• Lithovit is a purely mineral natural fertilizer that does not emit any chemical residues harmful to the environment
• Lithovit is approved as a foliar fertilizer for both organic and conventional farming in the EU
• Lithovit accelerates growth, promotes a more branched root system, increases green coloration and photosynthesis, reduces water requirements, improves the supply of important trace elements to the plants, optimizes pH and nitrogen uptake and leads to stronger, healthier and more stress-resistant plants.
• Lithovit increases vitality and resistance to physiological stress such as lack of water, drought, wetness, frost..., against diseases, fungal attack and pests.
• Lithovit improves crop yield, quality and storability, increases dry matter and biomass

A mechanism that depends on two factors is at work here:

• The first factor is the wall structure of the cells enclosing the stomatal pores (sphincter cells): The walls of the sphincter cells, which separate them both from neighboring cells and from the intercellular space, are thin, elastic, and stretchable. In contrast, the walls enclosing the stomatal pores are thick and thus less elastic. Let us first consider a closed pore: if water flows from the neighboring cells or from the intercellular space into the closing cells, their thin elastic walls expand and swell outward. This causes the thick walls enclosing the stomatal pores to become concave, exposing the pores. When water is transported in the opposite direction, the sphincter cells shrink, with the walls enclosing the pores becoming elongated, constricting the pores and closing them.

What is the driving force for such water transport?

• This force - the second regulating factor - is the gradient of osmotic pressure, or in the opposite direction, the gradient of water activity. Water activity is simplified as the concentration of free water molecules not bound to dissolved substances. This gradient is formed between the closing cells containing chloroplasts and performing photosynthesis and the neighboring cells not performing photosynthesis on the one hand, and the intercellular space on the other. When the concentration of substances formed by photosynthesis and dissolved in water increases in the closing cells, the water activity decreases there. The water is transported from the neighboring cells or the intercellular space into the sphincter cells. The stomatal pores open according to the mechanism mentioned above. If photosynthesis stops in the dark, no carbohydrates and sugars are produced in the sphincter cells. As a result, their concentration falls below that of solutes in neighboring cells or in the intercellular space. Water is transported in the opposite direction and the stomatal pores close. When it gets hot, the water vapor pressure in the atmosphere drops below that in the intercellular space. The plant initially loses water through transpiration. At the same time, the concentration of solutes there increases (water activity decreases). Water flows from the closing cells into the intercellular space and the stomatal pores close. By entering the intercellular space, it releases_CO2 (or _H2CO3, _HCO3), which binds water molecules as a hydrate shell. The water activity additionally decreases, so that the stomatal pores close faster. Despite the closure of the stomatal pores, photosynthesis continues because_CO2 continues to be supplied inside the leaf by lithovite. Furthermore, Ca2+ ions cause accelerated closure of the pores by promoting the production of the hormone ABA (abscisic acid), which transports the signal to the closing cells. In addition, the polarization of the cell membrane due to the docking of the lithovite with its negative surface is thought to play a role in this regard.

Lithovite increases_CO2 in the solution of the intercellular space, enhances photosynthesis and thus the formation of carbohydrates and sugars in the aqueous solution of the plant. Since, according to thermodynamics, the freezing temperature of water decreases with increasing content of substances dissolved in it, lithovite increases the plant resistance to frost. Furthermore,_CO2 prevents the formation of ethylene, which acts as a maturation hormone (inhibiting photosynthesis by degrading chlorophyll), so that photosynthesis, metabolic processes and associated energy (heat) turnover continue even in frost. All this increases the plant's resistance to frost.

The ripening process of vegetables and fruits undergoes various chemical reactions under the catalysis of enzymes. Ultimately, ripening depends on the formation of the gas ethylene, which is considered a ripening hormone. In vegetables and fruits harvested while still green, photosynthesis continues until the chlorophyll is broken down by ethylene.

For affected crops, it is recommended to add appropriate wetting agents, use a 0.3% Lithovit suspension, and stop spraying before flowering so that the offending gray Lithovit layer is washed off/metabolized by rain until harvest.

Yes, because as long as it exists, the gray lithovite layer on the leaves acts as a long-term depot for supplying the plant with_CO2, important minerals and trace nutrients.

The reason has not yet been conclusively researched. Epigenetic effects may also be responsible.

Up to 10 years of experience of countless users on more than 50 different crops prove that the achievable additional yield, quality improvement and partial saving of pesticides/fertilizers exceed the pure Lithovit costs many times over, the contribution margin increases significantly. Depending on the crop, Lithovit concentration in the spray liquid, admixture of a wetting agent and required spray volume per ha, the pure Lithovit costs per ha are on average between less than 10 EUR and 30 EUR.