Use of Nanofertilizers in Agriculture

Abstract

The agricultural industry is currently facing challenges of food production for the expanding human population. This will be worsened in the future by the negative impacts of climate change. The obstacles can be overcome by increasing the productivity of the available agricultural lands. The conventional fertilizers are, however, not very efficient in delivering nutrients to the plants. Formulation of nanofertilizers based on tiny particles (< 100 nm), prepared from common organic and inorganic sources, is a ground-breaking discovery that can ensure sustainable agriculture in an eco-friendly manner. Their unique properties make them effective at low concentrations. They can supply nutrients and help the plants withstand biotic and abiotic stress factors. This proves their efficiency over traditional fertilizers. However, they have certain drawbacks. Their high reactivity can be a source of toxicity to the plants as well as animals. Thus, this emerging field has high potentialities but requires extensive research.