Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRFs) are innovative products designed to provide crops with a consistent nutrient supply over an extended period of time. The stand-out feature of CRFs is their advanced coating technologies. This coating technology controls the release rate of the nutrients, ensuring the nutrient availability matches the plants’ needs. This improves yields, reduces nutrient losses, and simplifies fertilizer application.
How do Controlled Release Fertilizers Work?
ICL’s Controlled Release Fertilizers encapsulate a nutrient core within an advanced coating. The advanced coating regulates the release of nutrients into the soil, providing the nutrition plants need for up to 18 months. ICL’s state-of-the-art coatings manage the release of the nutrients steered by soil temperature alone. The release rate is independent of soil type, pH, or other factors. As a result, plants receive a steady nutrient supply, enhancing growth and reducing the risk of nutrient leaching into the environment.
ICL Controlled Release Fertilizers for agriculture use 3 different coating technologies:
- E-Max Release Technology: a polymer coating that brings about highly efficient nutrient use
- Resin Release Technology: an innovative protective resin coating
- eqo.x Release Technology: ICL’s newest CRF technology which delivers the same performance in a rapidly degradable coating that quickly and fully degrades once the nutrients are released.
Why Use Controlled Release Fertilizers?
- Enhanced Nutrient Use Efficiency: By synchronizing nutrient release with plant uptake, CRFs increase nutrient use efficiency by up to 80%, which means that growers can reduce application rates by up to 30% while achieving the same yield.
- Labor and Cost Savings: The extended nutrient release reduces the frequency of fertilizer applications, leading to savings in labor and application costs.
- Environmental Sustainability: CRFs reduce nitrogen losses from leaching and volatilization by up to 60% and losses from denitrification by over 10%, reducing excess nutrients escaping into the surrounding environment.
- Improved Crop Quality and Yield: Consistent nutrient availability supports optimal plant growth for higher yields and better-quality produce.
ICL’s Controlled Release Fertilizer Products
ICL offers Controlled Release Fertilizer products with a wide range of longevities, from 1 month up to 1.5 years. Each of these CRF products is tailored to the nutritional needs of modern crops.
- Agromaster®: Combines controlled release and conventional granules for precise crop nutrition in any condition.
- Agromaster® Start Mini: The latest generation of starter fertilizers for seeded crops.
- Agrocote®: State-of-the-art nutrition giving you higher Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) with fewer applications.
- Agroblen®: The perfect controlled-release solution for the establishment of young plants.
- Agroblen® Tablet: 100% coated NPK-based fertilizer in tablet form, combining Resin Release Technology and the highest quality nutrients.
- Agroblen® with V-Factor: Boosts plants’ growth safely and sustainability, combining Resin Release Technology with an Organic Growth Enhancer for optimum rooting and growth
How Long do Controlled Release Fertilizers Last?
ICL Controlled Release Fertilizers have longevities ranging from 1-2 months up to 18 months. This longevity is based on a consistent soil temperature of 21°C, but the actual nutrient release is dependent on the soil temperature. When the temperature is lower, crops need fewer nutrients, so the CRF slows down the release of nutrients. As the soil warms up, the release rate increases to match the increased requirements of the plants.
With the actual release rate dependent on local conditions, ICL has developed the CRF Timer tool that will help growers determine the proportion of CRF nutrients that remain. The CRF Timer includes data from 400 weather stations in 48 countries to calculate the actual release of nutrients for a given location.
Research and Development
ICL is committed to advancing CRF technology through continuous research and development. Our innovative plant nutrition products are designed to meet the evolving needs of modern agriculture, ensuring efficiency, sustainability, and profitability for farmers worldwide.
Explore our Controlled Release Fertilizers to discover the right Controlled Release Fertilizer for your crop and growing conditions, and find out how ICL Controlled Release Fertilizers can benefit your crops and your farming business.
Digital Tools
Ensure your crops have the required nutrients at the right time.
4 Brands found

Precision nutrition to meet all your plants’ needs
Agroblen® Tablet gives you an excellent all-in-one nutrition solution. It stands out thanks to its advanced technology, ease of use and environmental friendliness. Agroblen® Tablet is a 100% coated NPK-based fertilizer enriched with magnesium and trace elements. It features patented Resin Release Technology for simultaneous N, P and K release, precision nutrition supply and efficient uptake. You can apply Agroblen® Tablet in spots or plant hole, so you get planting and feeding in one application. It has also been designed with sustainability in mind. The tablets are made of an environmentally-friendly adhesive that is fully water soluble. The innovative composition means you can reduce the dosage compared to conventional fertilizers. It also helps you reduce your environmental impact by minimizing nutrient losses through rainfall or irrigation. Agroblen® Tablet leverages innovation to let you meet all your plants’ nourishment needs throughout the entire crop cycle. Effective, easy and economical – this tablet has it all.
View Brand
Boost your plants’ growth safely and sustainability
Agroblen® with V-Factor puts your young seedlings on the right path to healthy growth. We’ve developed this innovative nutrition solution especially for open-field application in forestry, vineyards, and orchards, particularly new plantations. It features a power-packed combination of patented Resin Release Technology and the V-Factor Organic Growth enhancer. The fertilizer comprises N, P and K components, plus magnesium and boron. It provides fully-coated nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and boron and high-quality nutrients in one nutrition solution. The embedded V-Factor Technology contains a balanced composition of amino-acids, such as glutamate, that enhances root development and nitrogen metabolism, and betaine, which acts as osmolyte in the event of abiotic stress. This all combines to result in better root development, plant establishment and survival rates, while also reducing osmotic stress. The steady and even nutrient release gives you uniform crop growth and optimal yields. What’s more, Agroblen® with V-Factor is environmentally friendly because it minimizes leaching of nutrients thanks to its 100% coated NPK and is safe to use. It even promotes microbial biomass in the soil. Agroblen® with V-Factor puts state-of-the-art technology to work for you for better crops, yields and returns.
View Brand
State-of-the-art nutrition giving you higher Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) with fewer applications.
Agrocote® sets the standard in efficient precision fertilization. The 100% individually N, P or K coated granules give you a continuous release of nutrients in a controlled manner. You’ll see the benefits of this breakthrough in precision nutrition reflected in higher crop yields. It’s both highly effective and exceptionally practical to use and easy to apply. Agrocote® also helps you reduce your environmental impact by limiting nutrient losses due to leaching, volatilization, denitrification and P-fixation. Agrocote® brings all the benefits of controlled-release plant nutrition to agriculture.
View Brand
Master your crop nutrition in any condition
No matter how challenging your growing conditions, you can count on Agromaster® for top performance. It combines our advanced coating with specially selected conventional granules to give you optimum ease of use and outstanding results. You’re in control of nutrient supply every step of the way and this pays off in high yields and lower environmental impact. Ideal in spring and fall when heavy rainfall can lessen other fertilizers impact. Agromaster® products contain our E-Max Release Technology and in some formulations also our Resin Release Technology is included; E-Max release technology is a polymer coating that brings about much more efficient nutrient use. Nutrients are released according to soil temperature, which results in predictable longevities. Influenced by the temperature, the semi-permeable coating regulates the daily release of nutrients. Our Resin Release Technology raises precision nutrition to a new level. We use this versatile technology to coat different high-quality raw materials, including NPK compounds enriched with trace elements and NP or K-based ones. This innovative protective resin coating enables a controlled nutrient release that is initiated and regulated by soil temperature.
View Brand36 Products found
75 Resources found


