International work demonstrates that the incorporation of leaf material from Plantago lanceolato into soil has a significant effect on the nitrification process.
For a period of 28 days nitrate accumulated in soil incubations was lower for soils containing plantain material than the control soils without any plantain material. Secondary plant compounds were suggested as a likely cause of this effect.
Similarly, Verhagen reported plantain plant roots suppress nitrification to some extent. Preliminary work at Plant & Food Research on Ecotain™ is consistent with this previous work.
Put simply, research suggests that growing Ecotain suppresses the nitrification process in the soil, thus reducing the risk of leaching.