Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
Nano-fertilizers and Their Smart Delivery
System
Priyanka Solanki, Arpit Bhargava, Hemraj Chhipa, Navin Jain,
and Jitendra Panwar
Abstract Outburst of world population in the past decade has forced the agricul-
tural sector to increase crop productivity to satisfy the needs of billions of people
especially in developing countries. Widespread existence of nutrient deficiency in
soils has resulted in great economic loss for farmers and significant decreases in
nutritional quality and overall quantity of grains for human beings and livestock.
Use of large-scale application of chemical fertilizers to increase the crop produc-
tivity is not a suitable option for long run because the chemical fertilizers are
considered as double-edged swords, which on the one hand increase the crop
production but on the other hand disturb the soil mineral balance and decrease
soil fertility. Large-scale application of chemical fertilizers results in an irreparable
damage to the soil structure, mineral cycles, soil microbial flora, plants, and even
more on the food chains across ecosystems leading to heritable mutations in future
generations of consumers.
In recent years, nanotechnology has extended its relevance in plant science and
agriculture. Advancement in nanotechnology has improved ways for large-scale
production of nanoparticles of physiologically important metals, which are now
used to improve fertilizer formulations for increased uptake in plant cells and by
minimizing nutrient loss. Nanoparticles have high surface area, sorption capacity,
and controlled-release kinetics to targeted sites making them “smart delivery
system.” Nanostructured fertilizers can increase the nutrient use efficiency through
mechanisms such as targeted delivery, slow or controlled release. They could
precisely release their active ingredients in responding to environmental triggers
and biological demands. In recent lab scale investigations, it has been reported that
nano-fertilizers can improve crop productivity by enhancing the rate of seed
germination, seedling growth, photosynthetic activity, nitrogen metabolism, and
carbohydrate and protein synthesis. However, as being an infant technology, the
ethical and safety issues surrounding the use of nanoparticles in plant productivity
are limitless and must be very carefully evaluated before adapting the use of the
so-called nano-fertilizers in agricultural fields.
