Research & Development › Climate-Smart Nutrient Center

Plant nutrition under abiotic stress

We study how mineral nutrients, amino acids and beneficial microorganisms help crops tolerate chilling, freezing, heat, drought and salinity. Our work links molecular mechanisms in the laboratory to replicated experiments in the greenhouse and the field.

4active research projects

Figure 1. Different abiotic stresses converge on a shared pathway: reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate and damage membranes and proteins. Antioxidant enzymes, which depend on micronutrient cofactors, limit this damage. This link between nutrition and stress tolerance is the focus of our research.

RESEARCH FOCUS

Abiotic stresses in a changing field climate

Each stress injures the plant through its own primary mechanism. Each therefore needs its own research question.

Stress	Typical range	Primary injury	Research question
Chilling stress	0–10 °C	Membranes lose fluidity; photosynthesis and nutrient uptake slow down	Can nutrient and biostimulant inputs stabilise membranes in chilling-sensitive crops?
Freezing stress	< 0 °C	Extracellular ice dehydrates cells and ruptures membranes	Which compounds support cold acclimation and freezing tolerance?
Heat stress	> 35 °C	Protein denaturation, pollen sterility, reduced fruit set	How do amino acids and micronutrients protect reproductive tissue?
Drought stress	water deficit	Stomatal closure, reduced CO₂ assimilation, growth arrest	Does root symbiosis improve water and nutrient uptake under deficit?
Salinity stress	Na⁺, Cl⁻	Osmotic stress and ion toxicity; impaired K⁺ uptake	Can soil amendments restore structure and ion balance on saline soils?

Table 1. Abiotic stresses studied at the center. Temperature ranges are indicative; thresholds vary with crop species and developmental stage.

RESEARCH APPROACH

From hypothesis to field validation

Every project follows the same five steps, in this order.

Research question

A hypothesis derived from a documented field problem and the current literature.

Mechanism

Laboratory work on the physiological and molecular mechanism: analytics, enzyme assays, cell and microbial models.

Controlled experiments

Greenhouse and climate-chamber experiments with defined stress treatments, replication and statistical analysis.

Technology development

Translation of the findings into a stable, reproducible formulation with analytical quality control.

Field validation & transfer

Replicated field trials, followed by knowledge transfer to agronomists and growers through the ZENITH Academy.

METHODS

Analytical and physiological methods

From formulation to plant response. Elemental analysis, nitrogen determination, spectrophotometry and titration complement our physiological investigations, connecting product composition with measured plant responses.

Figure 2. Analytical and physiological measurements connect nutrient composition with plant responses.

M1Chiral HPLCEnantiomeric purity of amino acids (L- vs D-form), following EN 17154:2019
M2¹⁵N isotope tracingUptake and allocation of nitrogen in plant tissue
M3Antioxidant enzyme assaysActivity of SOD, CAT, APX and GR as indicators of oxidative stress
M4Lipid peroxidationMalondialdehyde (MDA) content as a marker of membrane damage
M5Plant water statusDefined soil water potential for reproducible drought treatments
M6Nutrient composition & formulation analysisICP-OES for multi-element analysis; double-beam atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) for selected mineral elements; automated Kjeldahl analysis for nitrogen determination using appropriate sample preparation; spectrophotometric assays and titrimetric methods for selected constituents and formulation properties.

STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY

A protein–protein interaction behind antioxidant defence

Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), one of the antioxidant enzymes in Figure 1, is inactive until a dedicated copper chaperone docks onto it and hands over copper.

SOD1 CCS · domain II CCS · domain I CCS · domain III Cu / Zn site Drag to rotate

Figure 3. Model of the heterodimer between Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1, green) and its copper chaperone CCS (teal), based on the crystal structure PDB 1JK9.⁵ The two proteins dock through the same interface that SOD1 uses to form its own homodimer. Simplified representation, not at atomic resolution.

Copper delivery in three steps

01
CCS binds copper(I) in the cell. Free copper is toxic, so it is always carried by a chaperone.
02
CCS domain II, itself shaped like SOD1, docks onto an SOD1 monomer and forms a transient heterodimer.
03
Domain III passes the copper into the SOD1 active site next to zinc. The enzyme is now active and removes superoxide (O₂•⁻).

In Arabidopsis, CCS activates the cytosolic, chloroplastic and peroxisomal Cu/Zn-SODs.⁶ Copper and zinc supply therefore directly limits how much antioxidant capacity a plant can build under stress.

SOD1 CCS Copper-delivery arm Cu Zn

SELECTED RESULTS

Case study: combined drought and salt stress in tomato

An enzymatic plant protein hydrolysate reduces membrane damage in tomato under combined drought and salt stress

Internal study, Zenith Growth Tech GmbH · Test material: AMINOSUN

BACKGROUNDIn the field, drought and salinity often act together. Protein hydrolysates are proposed to support stress tolerance, but the mechanism is rarely measured.

DESIGNThree linked modules at the microbial, cellular and whole-plant level. Tomato plants were exposed to a soil water potential of −0.8 MPa combined with 100 mM NaCl.

RESULTAt the high application rate, lipid peroxidation (MDA) in stressed plants fell by 54% compared with the stressed control.

Parameter	Value
Crop	Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Moneymaker
Drought treatment	−0.8 MPa
Salt treatment	100 mM NaCl
Free amino acids (enzymatic hydrolysis)	81.2%
L-form purity (chiral HPLC)	96.3%
MDA vs stressed control, high rate	−54%

Table 2. Experimental conditions and key results.

REFERENCE

Essential and beneficial elements for plants

Fourteen mineral elements are essential for higher plants, and four more are considered beneficial. Select an element to see its physiological role.

28Ni58.69

At the heart of our name sits nickel, the most recently recognised essential plant nutrient.^1,2 Plants need it for urease, the enzyme that recycles nitrogen.^3,4

Essential macronutrient Essential micronutrient Beneficial element

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Current projects

Four projects investigating plant nutrition under abiotic stress.

PROJECT: 01 · Biofertiliser
STATUS: Ongoing
LEAD: ZENITH R&D, Giesen

MycoFert InnovateA biofertiliser enriched with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Studies how the symbiosis between mycorrhizal fungi and roots improves uptake of phosphorus, nitrogen and micronutrients, and tolerance to drought stress, salt stress and pathogens. A further aim is cost-efficient production at scale.

KEYWORDSmycorrhiza · nutrient-use efficiency · soil health · reduced mineral fertiliser

PROJECT: 02 · Biostimulant
STATUS: Ongoing

FrostShieldChilling and freezing tolerance in vegetable crops and maize

Tests combinations of enzymes, phytohormones, biostimulants and micronutrients that stabilise cell membranes and limit oxidative damage under chilling stress (0 to 10 °C) and freezing stress (below 0 °C). Model crops: tomato, pepper and maize.

KEYWORDSchilling stress · freezing tolerance · membrane stability · antioxidants · GMO-free

PROJECT: 03 · Soil amendment
STATUS: In preparation

SaltSentryA soil conditioner for saline soils

Evaluates a cross-linked polyacrylate combined with humic and fulvic acids, calcium sulphate, potassium nitrate, silica and microbial inoculants. Hypothesis: improved soil structure and water retention increase crop tolerance to salt stress. Laboratory and field trials are planned.

KEYWORDSsoil salinity · water retention · soil structure · microbial activity

PROJECT: 04 · Research
STATUS: Ongoing
PARTNER: University research group, Germany

PhytoremediationPlants that restore degraded and salt-affected soils

Investigates how plants take up, stabilise and remove contaminants and excess salt, so that degraded land can return to agricultural use.

KEYWORDSphytoremediation · soil restoration · halophytes

REFERENCES

Cited literature

Eskew, D.L., Welch, R.M. & Cary, E.E. (1983). Nickel: an essential micronutrient for legumes and possibly all higher plants. Science, 222(4624), 621–623.
Brown, P.H., Welch, R.M. & Cary, E.E. (1987). Nickel: a micronutrient essential for higher plants. Plant Physiology, 85(3), 801–803.
Dixon, N.E., Gazzola, C., Blakeley, R.L. & Zerner, B. (1975). Jack bean urease (EC 3.5.1.5). A metalloenzyme. A simple biological role for nickel? Journal of the American Chemical Society, 97(14), 4131–4133.
Polacco, J.C., Mazzafera, P. & Tezotto, T. (2013). Opinion: Nickel and urease in plants: still many knowns and unknowns. Plant Science, 199–200, 79–90.
Lamb, A.L., Torres, A.S., O’Halloran, T.V. & Rosenzweig, A.C. (2001). Heterodimeric structure of superoxide dismutase in complex with its metallochaperone. Nature Structural Biology, 8(9), 751–755. PDB entry 1JK9.
Chu, C.-C., Lee, W.-C., Guo, W.-Y., Pan, S.-M., Chen, L.-J., Li, H.-M. & Jinn, T.-L. (2005). A copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase that confers three types of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase activity in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology, 139(1), 425–436.
Elia, A., Palmitessa, O.D. & Santamaria, P. (2026). Nickel in agri-food systems: a review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 17, 1829209. Published 26 June 2026. Read open-access article · PubMed
Reviews nickel essentiality, nitrogen metabolism and the implications of excess nickel in agri-food systems.
Seregin, I.V. & Kozhevnikova, A.D. (2026). Nickel Toxicity in Plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(13), 5942. Published 1 July 2026. Read open-access article · PubMed
Examines physiological roles of nickel and mechanisms of toxicity at excessive concentrations.
Iqbal, M., et al. (2026). Nickel bioaccumulation, physio-biochemical responses, phytotoxicity, and its mitigation strategies in plants. Discover Plants, 3, article 59. Published 4 April 2026. Read open-access article
Reviews nickel uptake, accumulation, physiological responses and mitigation of toxicity.
Rabinovich, A., Heckman, J.R., Wyenandt, C.A. & Di, R. (2026). Foliar Nickel Nutrient Application for Improved Urea Conversion and Abiotic Stress Mitigation in Tomato. Agricultural Research, 15, 219–227. First published online 24 April 2025; journal issue March 2026. Read open-access article
Controlled greenhouse study in tomato. Findings concern the tested treatments and conditions; this independent study is not a trial of a ZENITH product.

COLLABORATION

Research collaboration

We welcome enquiries from universities, research institutes and growers’ associations about joint experiments, field trials and research funding proposals.

Field observations are equally welcome: a recurring stress, a deficiency or a soil that does not respond often becomes our next research question.

Climate-Smart Nutrient Center
Zenith Growth Tech GmbH
Industriestr. 1
31180 Giesen, Germany
Zenith@zenith-tech.de