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The French start-up company Toopi presented a biofertilizer made from human urine at the Vinitech trade fair in Bordeaux. This is collected from dry toilets at highway rest areas, in the Futuroscope amusement park, and at music festivals. With the product named Lactipi Plus, part of the conventional mineral fertilizers is to be replaced.
The urine is enriched after stabilization and disinfection with sugar and the bacterial culture Lactobacillus paracasei. Through fermentation, only 25 liters of urine per hectare are needed to mobilize 35 kilos of phosphorus. In its raw state, however, 17,000 liters are required. According to the manufacturer, Lactipi Plus promotes root development, improves water uptake, and nutrient absorption of the plants. In addition, the process saves twelve liters of water per liter of product and reduces the use of mineral fertilizers as well as CO₂ emissions – without loss of yield.
The company, founded in 2019, suggests a dosage of five liters per hectare, divided into three applications: two liters per hectare before flowering, 1.5 liters per hectare for fruit formation, and 1.5 liters per hectare for ripening. The product is diluted in a ratio of 1:9 with water and applied directly at the base of the vines. Initial tests have shown, according to Toopi, that a ten percent increase in shoot growth and leaf development can be achieved just 40 days after the first application. Lactipi Plus has recently received approval from the French authority Anses.
(ru / Vitisphere)