Environmentally Friendly Slow Release Nano-Chemicals in Agriculture

Author(s):  
Richa Kothari ◽  
Khursheed Ahmad Wani

Agriculture is important for people all over the world in order to obtain food to sustain the ever-growing population. However, the current practices for obtaining more and more food has several environmental challenges. Hence, new environmentally friendly fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides have been developed that enhance crop yield by facilitating maximum nutrient uptake by the application of nanotechnology that will help in promoting sustainable agriculture by the slow or controlled release fertilizers. This slow discharge encourages improved delivery of nutrients to the plants that further speeds up early germination, fast growth, and high nutritional level. The current study is aimed to review nano-chemicals used in agriculture that have been developed by the researchers all over the world.

Author(s):  
Richa Kothari ◽  
Khursheed Ahmad Wani

Agriculture is important for people all over the world in order to obtain food to sustain the ever-growing population. However, the current practices for obtaining more and more food has several environmental challenges. Hence, new environmentally friendly fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides have been developed that enhance crop yield by facilitating maximum nutrient uptake by the application of nanotechnology that will help in promoting sustainable agriculture by the slow or controlled release fertilizers. This slow discharge encourages improved delivery of nutrients to the plants that further speeds up early germination, fast growth, and high nutritional level. The current study is aimed to review nano-chemicals used in agriculture that have been developed by the researchers all over the world.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Karthik ◽  
M. Uma Maheswari

Food security is one of the major concerns for all developing countries of the world. Even though we had attained the highest food production with the use of new technologies, we may not able to feed the burgeoning population adequately in coming years due to stagnant crop productivity. Natural source of nutrients like organic manures and external source of nutrients, viz. fertilizers, are considered as the two eyes in plant nutrient management. Nutrient use efficiency of fertilizer is very low due to numerous pathways of losses such as leaching, denitrification, microbial immobilization, fixation and runoff. It has been estimated that around 40-70% of nitrogen, 80-90% of phosphorus, 50-70% of potassium and more than 95% of micronutrient content of applied fertilizers are lost in to the environment and results in pollution (Kanjana, 2017). Smart fertilizers like slow and controlled release fertilizers, nanofertilizers and bioformulation fertilizers are the new technologies to enhance the nutrient use efficiency their by improving crop yield in sustainable manner. The use of slow and controlled release fertilizers increase nutrient use efficiency, minimize the risks like leaf burning, water contamination and eutrophication. Nano-fertilizers are the nano-particles-based fertilizers, where supply of the nutrients is made precisely for maximum plant growth, have higher use efficiency, exploiting plant unavailable nutrients in the rhizosphere and can be delivered on real time basis into the rhizosphere or by foliar spray (Priyanka Solangi et al., 2015). The small size, high specific surface area and reactivity of nano fertilizers increase the solubility, diffusion and availability of nutrients to plants and enhance crop productivity. Bioformulation is microbial preparations containing specific beneficial microorganisms which are capable of fixing or solubilizing or mobilizing plant nutrients for promoting plant growth and crop yield. Smart fertilizers are the better option for the farmers to increase their crop yield with low input cost in sustainable way without degrading natural environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhong ◽  
Renyi Gui ◽  
Zhuangzhuang Qian ◽  
Shunyao Zhuang

Slow release fertilizers are designed to enhance crop yield and minimizing the loss of nitrogen (N) to environment. However, N release in leaching and loss in ammonia emission from bag controlled release fertilizers have not been previously evaluated under the standardized conditions in soil. Accordingly, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of N release from a bag controlled fertilizer with 1, 3, 5 and 7 rows of hole (B-1, B-3, B-5, B-7) and a kraft bag without hole (B-W). The results showed that the amount of N leaching of B-1, B-3, B-5, B-7 and B-W were significantly lower than urea fertilizer without bag (U). The maximum N release from the fertilizers followed the order: U (83.16%) > B-7 (54.61%) > B-5 (54.02%) > B-W (51.51%) > B-3 (48.87%) > B-1 (38.60%) during the experimentation. Compared with U treatment, ammonia volatilization losses were significantly decreased by B-1, B-3, B-5, B-7 and B-W treatments. Based on N release and loss, a suitable bag with holes should be considered in practice when using the bag controlled fertilizer to meet an environment good objective. The evaluation method merits further study combined with field experiment.


Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Prudnikova ◽  
Tatiana G. Volova

The latest trend in agriculture is the development and application of environmentally friendly pesticides with targeted and controlled release of active ingredients embedded in biodegradable polymer bases. In this work, a series of experimental slow-release pesticide formulations was produced using composites of degradable polyester poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and natural materials as a matrix for embedding two agrochemicals – a fungicide (tebuconazole) and an herbicide (metribuzin). The structure, physicochemical properties and degradation rate of long-term formulations and the kinetics of active ingredient release from the matrix were studied in laboratory soil microecosystems. The experimental formulations allowed for a gradual release of agrochemicals into the soil for two months without abrupt emissions, providing long-term plant protection against pathogens and weeds. In contrast to the free forms of the agrochemicals, the analysis showed an absence of noticeable shifts and negative impacts on soil bacterial communities with the introduction of the developed formulations. The fungicidal action of long-term tebuconazole was confirmed on model Triticum aestivum plants infected with a complex of root rot pathogens (Alternaria, Fusarium, and Bipolaris). The efficacy of embedded metribuzin on model Melilotus albus weeds was comparable to that of the free forms of this herbicide. This work has produced new data on biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates for constructing long-term formulations of agropreparations. The fundamentals have been provided for constructing environmentally friendly and targeted controlled-release formulations of crop protection products against pathogens and weeds


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Gil-Ortiz ◽  
Miguel Ángel Naranjo ◽  
Antonio Ruiz-Navarro ◽  
Marcos Caballero-Molada ◽  
Sergio Atares ◽  
...  

Presently, there is a growing interest in developing new controlled-release fertilizers based on ecological raw materials. The present study aims to compare the efficacy of two new ureic-based controlled-release fertilizers formulated with water-soluble polymeric coatings enriched with humic acids or seaweed extracts. To this end, an experimental approach was designed under controlled greenhouse conditions by carrying out its subsequent field scaling. Different physiological parameters and crop yield were measured by comparing the new fertilizers with another non polymeric-coated fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, and an untreated ‘Control’. As a result, on the microscale the fertilizer enriched with humic acids favored a better global response in the photosynthetic parameters and nutritional status of wheat plants. A significant 1.2-fold increase in grain weight yield and grain number was obtained with the humic acid polymeric fertilizer versus that enriched with seaweed extracts; and also, in average, higher in respect to the uncoated one. At the field level, similar results were confirmed by lowering N doses by 20% when applying the humic acid polymeric-coated produce compared to ammonium nitrate. Our results showed that the new humic acid polymeric fertilizer facilitated crop management and reduced the environmental impact generated by N losses, which are usually produced by traditional fertilizers.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-188
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Groves ◽  
Stuart L. Warren ◽  
Ted E. Bilderback

Abstract Rooted cuttings of Cotoneaster dammeri Schneid ‘Skogholm’ and seedlings of Rudbeckia fulgida Ait. ‘Goldsturm’ were potted into 3.8 liter (4 qt) containers in a pine bark:sand (8:1 by vol) substrate incorporated with 3.5 g (0.12 oz) N per container provided by one of the following five controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs): Meister 21N–3.5P–11.1K (21–7–14), Osmocote 24N–2.0P–5.6K (24–4–7), Scotts 23N–2.0P–6.4K (23–4–8), Sustane 5N–0.9P–3.3K (5–2–4) or Woodace 21N–3.0P–9.5K (21–6–12). Two hundred ml (0.3 in), 400 ml (0.6 in), 800 ml (1.1 in) or 1200 ml (1.7 in) of water was applied once daily (single) or in two equal applications with a 2 hr interval between applications (cyclic). Substrate solutions were collected from containers of cotoneaster 15, 32, 45, 60, 74, 90, 105, and 119 days after initiation (DAI). Irrigation efficiency [(water applied − water leached) ÷ water applied] was determined on the same days. Cyclic application improved irrigation efficiency at 800 ml (1.1 in) and 1200 ml (1.7 in) ≈ 27% compared to a single application. Irrigation efficiencies averaged over the season were 95%, 84%, 62%, and 48% for cotoneaster and 100%, 90%, 72%, and 51% for rudbeckia at 200 ml (0.3 in), 400 ml (0.6 in), 800 ml (1.1 in) and 1200 ml (1.7 in), respectively. NH4-N and NO3-N and PO4-P concentrations in substrate solution decreased with increasing irrigation volume regardless of CRF. Substrate NH4-N concentration decreased throughout the season with most CRFs below 5 mg/liter by 90 DAI. CRFs mainly affected substrate NH4-N and NO3-N concentrations when irrigated with 200 ml (0.3 in) or 400 ml (0.6 in). Substrate NH4-N, NO3-N, and PO4-P solution concentrations were similar for all CRFs at irrigation volume of 1200 ml (1.7 in). Osmocote, Scotts, and Woodace maintained relatively constant substrate solution levels of PO4-P through 60 DAI. By 90 DAI, substrate PO4-P levels were similar regardless of irrigation volume or CRF. Substrate PO4-P concentrations were never in the recommended range of 5 to 10 mg/liter when irrigated with 800 ml (1.1 in) or 1200 ml (1.7 in) regardless of CRF. Solution pH remained in the recommended range of 5.0 to 6.0 for all irrigation volumes and CRFs throughout the entire study with the exception of Sustane.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7877
Author(s):  
Fahimeh Shahinnia ◽  
Néstor Carrillo ◽  
Mohammad-Reza Hajirezaei

Environmental adversities, particularly drought and nutrient limitation, are among the major causes of crop losses worldwide. Due to the rapid increase of the world’s population, there is an urgent need to combine knowledge of plant science with innovative applications in agriculture to protect plant growth and thus enhance crop yield. In recent decades, engineering strategies have been successfully developed with the aim to improve growth and stress tolerance in plants. Most strategies applied so far have relied on transgenic approaches and/or chemical treatments. However, to cope with rapid climate change and the need to secure sustainable agriculture and biomass production, innovative approaches need to be developed to effectively meet these challenges and demands. In this review, we summarize recent and advanced strategies that involve the use of plant-related cyanobacterial proteins, macro- and micronutrient management, nutrient-coated nanoparticles, and phytopathogenic organisms, all of which offer promise as protective resources to shield plants from climate challenges and to boost stress tolerance in crops.


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