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Beig B, Niazi MBK, Sher F, Jahan Z, Zia M, Shah GA, Ghfar AA, Iqbal Z. Development and testing of environment friendly nanohybrid coatings for sustainable agriculture technologies. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 240:117546. [PMID: 37914011 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Less than 50% of the applied urea fertilizer is taken up by plants due to poor nitrogen (N) use efficiency which affects overall agricultural productivity and leads to serious environmental and economic problems. Additionally, soils with high salinity might limit zinc (Zn) availability. Low Zn use efficiency (<30%) when applied as synthetic salts, e.g., zinc sulfate has therefore minimized their applicability. Within the past two decades, nanotechnology has gained a lot of interest in the development of effective nano fertilizers with high nutrient use efficiency (NUE). In this perspective, the approach of coating conventional fertilizers with nano materials especially, the ones which are essential nutrients has researched because of their high use efficiency and reduced losses. In this work, a novel and innovative formulation of hybrid nano fertilizer has been prepared for the sustainable release of nutrients. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs <50 nm) were incorporated into the biodegradable polymer (gelatin) and coated on urea using a fluidized bed coater. Among all the formulations, GZnSNPs (1.5% gelatin+0.5% elemental Zn as ZnO-NPs) showed a significant delay in urea release (<80 %) after 120 min). The sand column experiment showed sustainable Zn release for GZnSNPs i.e., 2.7 ppm vs. 3.5 ppm (GZnS) after the 6th day. Moreover, a substantial increase in wheat grain yield (6500 kg/ha), N uptake (46.5 kg/ha) and Zn uptake (21.64 g/ha) were observed for fields amended with GZnSNPs. The composition of GZnSNPs was valuable since this attracted the highest return relative to the other treatments. Gelatin supplied small N-containing molecules, resulting in extra value addition with ZnO-NPs thus increasing yield and fertilizer properties more relative to the same amount of elemental Zn given via bulk salt. Therefore, the findings of the current study recommend the use of ZnO-NPs in the agricultural sector without any negative effects on yield and NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Beig
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Farooq Sher
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, United Kingdom.
| | - Zaib Jahan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Munir Zia
- Research and Development Department, Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited, Head Office 156-The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Abbas Shah
- Department of Agronomy, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Murree Road, Rawalpindi, Punjab, 10370, Pakistan
| | - Ayman A Ghfar
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zahid Iqbal
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Murree Road, Rawalpindi, Punjab 46300, Pakistan
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Zhu Y, Deng K, Wu P, Feng K, Zhao S, Li L. Effects of Slow-Release Fertilizer on Lotus Rhizome Yield and Starch Quality under Different Fertilization Periods. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1311. [PMID: 36986998 PMCID: PMC10053914 DOI: 10.3390/plants12061311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Slow-release fertilizer is an environmentally friendly fertilizer that is widely used in crop cultivation instead of traditional nitrogen fertilizer. However, the optimal application time of slow-release fertilizer and its effect on starch accumulation and rhizome quality of lotus remains unclear. In this study, two slow-release fertilizer applications (sulfur-coated compound fertilizer, SCU, and resin-coated urea, RCU) were fertilized under three fertilization periods (the erect leaf stage, SCU1 and RCU1; the erect leaf completely covering the water stage, SCU2 and RCU2; and the swelling stage of lotus rhizomes, SCU3 and RCU3) to study the effects of different application periods. Compared with CK (0 kg∙ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer), leaf relative chlorophyll content (SPAD) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) remained at higher levels under SCU1 and RCU1. Further studies showed that SCU1 and RCU1 increased yield, amylose content, amylopectin and total starch, and the number of starch particles in lotus, and also significantly reduced peak viscosity, final viscosity and setback viscosity of lotus rhizome starch. To account for these changes, we measured the activity of key enzymes in starch synthesis and the relative expression levels of related genes. Through analysis, we found that these parameters increased significantly under SCU and RCU treatment, especially under SCU1 and RCU1 treatment. The results of this study showed that the one-time application at the erect leaf stage (SCU1 and RCU1) could improve the physicochemical properties of starch by regulating the key enzymes and related genes of starch synthesis, thus improving the nutritional quality of lotus rhizome. These results provide a technical choice for the one-time application of slow-release fertilizer in lotus rhizome production and cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamei Zhu
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
| | - Kangming Deng
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
| | - Peng Wu
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
| | - Kai Feng
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
| | - Shuping Zhao
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
| | - Liangjun Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (Y.Z.); (K.D.); (P.W.); (K.F.)
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
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Mustafa A, Athar F, Khan I, Chattha MU, Nawaz M, Shah AN, Mahmood A, Batool M, Aslam MT, Jaremko M, Abdelsalam NR, Ghareeb RY, Hassan MU. Improving crop productivity and nitrogen use efficiency using sulfur and zinc-coated urea: A review. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:942384. [PMID: 36311059 PMCID: PMC9614435 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.942384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is an important macro-nutrient required for crop production and is considered an important commodity for agricultural systems. Urea is a vital source of N that is used widely across the globe to meet crop N requirements. However, N applied in the form of urea is mostly lost in soil, posing serious economic and environmental issues. Therefore, different approaches such as the application of urea coated with different substances are used worldwide to reduce N losses. Urea coating is considered an imperative approach to enhance crop production and reduce the corresponding nitrogen losses along with its impact on the environment. In addition, given the serious food security challenges in meeting the current and future demands for food, the best agricultural management strategy to enhance food production have led to methods that involve coating urea with different nutrients such as sulfur (S) and zinc (Zn). Coated urea has a slow-release mechanism and remains in the soil for a longer period to meet the demand of crop plants and increases nitrogen use efficiency, growth, yield, and grain quality. These nutrient-coated urea reduce nitrogen losses (volatilization, leaching, and N2O) and save the environment from degradation. Sulfur and zinc-coated urea also reduce nutrient deficiencies and have synergetic effects with other macro and micronutrients in the crop. This study discusses the dynamics of sulfur and zinc-coated urea in soil, their impact on crop production, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the residual and toxic effects of coated urea, and the constraints of adopting coated fertilizers. Additionally, we also shed light on agronomic and molecular approaches to enhance NUE for better crop productivity to meet food security challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Mustafa
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Fareeha Athar
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Imran Khan
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Muhammad Nawaz
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
| | - Adnan Noor Shah
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Adnan Noor Shah
| | - Athar Mahmood
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Maria Batool
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Mariusz Jaremko
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Smart-Health Initiative and Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nader R. Abdelsalam
- Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Rehab Y. Ghareeb
- Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El Arab, Egypt
| | - Muhammad Umair Hassan
- Research Center Ecological Sciences, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
- Muhammad Umair Hassan
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