NANO FERTILIZERS

Agricultural land is decreasing day by day due to erosion, environmental pollution, unconscious irrigation and fertilization. On the other hand, it is necessary to increase agricultural production in order to meet the needs of the developing industry as well as the nutritional needs of the growing population. In the recent years, nano fertilizers have begun to be produced to obtain the highest amount and quality of production from the unit area.

Our researches show that nano fertilizers cause an increase in the use efficiency of plant nutrients, reduce soil toxicity, minimize the potential adverse effects of excessive chemical fertilizer use, and reduce fertilizer application frequency. Nano fertilizers are important in agriculture to increase crop yield and nutrient use efficiency, and to reduce excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The most important properties of these fertilizers are that they contain one or more of macro and micronutrients, they can be applied frequently in small amounts and are environmentally friendly.

Nano fertilizers are synthesized or modified form of traditional fertilizers, fertilizers bulk materials or extracted from different vegetative or reproductive parts of the plant by different chemical, physical, mechanical or biological methods with the help of nanotechnology used to improve soil fertility, productivity and quality of agricultural produces. Nanoparticles can made from fully bulk materials. The nano-fertilizers have higher surface area it is mainly due to very less size of particles which provide more site to facilitate different metabolic process in the plant system result production of more photosynthets. Due to higher surface area and very less size they have high reactivity with other compound. They have high solubility in different solvent such as water. Particles size of nano-fertilizers is less than 100 nm which facilitates more penetration of nano particles in to the plant from applied surface such as soil or leaves.

Advantages of nano fertilizers over traditional fertilizers

Nano fertilizers are advantageous over conventional fertilizers as they increase soil fertility yield and quality parameters of the crop, they are nontoxic and less harmful to environment and humans, they minimize cost and maximize profit.

Nano particles increase nutrients use efficiency and minimizing the costs of environment protection. Improvement in the nutritional content of crops and the quality of the taste. Optimum use of iron and increase protein content in the grain of the wheat. Enhance plants growth by resisting diseases and improving stability of the plants by anti-bending and deeper rooting of crops also suggested that balanced fertilization to the crop plant may be achieved through nanotechnology.

Effects of nano-fertilizers on seeds germination & growth parameters of the plant. Several researches reported that nano fertilizers significantly influenced the seed germination and seedling growth which revealed the effect of nano fertilizers on seed and seed vigor. Nano fertilizers can easily penetrate into the seed and increase availability of nutrient to the growing seedling which result healthy and more shoot length and root length but if concentration is more than the optimum it may show inhibitory effects on the germination and seedling growth of the plant.

Nano ZnO recorded higher peanut seeds germination percent and root growth compare to bulk zinc sulphate. Similarly positive effective of nano-scale SiO2 and TiO2 on germination was reported in soya bean. Reported higher seed germination, shoot length, root length under nano fertilizers treatment over control or without nano fertilizer treated seeds. Nano fertilizers increase availability of nutrient to the growing plant which increase chlorophyll formation, photosynthesis rate, dry matter production and result improve overall growth of the plant.

Reported similar result that nano-TiO2 treated seed produced plant recorded more dry weight, higher photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll-a formation compared to the control. Which indicate that nano fertilizers significantly improve seed germination and overall growth of the plant.