Performance of Slow Release Hydroxyapatite Coated Urea Nanofertilizer on Aerobic Paddy

Abstract

Fertilizers, irrigation and high yielding varieties contributed immensely for the success of green revolution. Increasing global food demand necessitates balanced fertilizer usage. Nitrogenous fertilizers considering the losses due to quicker release doesn’t synchronize with crop demand resulting in lower crop uptake and use efficiency, necessitating nanoparticle coated urea for sustained production. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HA) and urea coated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (UHA) was synthesised through wet chemical method, were characterized using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. Nitrogen content of UHA particles was found to be 36.5% and diameter of nanoparticles was less than 90 Æžm. The UHA was further evaluated for its performance on aerobic paddy. Synthesized Nanofertilizer at 25% of recommended dose recorded higher grain yield in aerobic paddy. Nanofertilizer@ 50% dose showed similar performance to 100% dose of conventional urea. The amount of fertilizer application to the environment can be reduced with nanofertilizer compared to regular dosage of conventional fertilizer without compromising the crop yield thereby reducing environmental pollution of water and soil.