Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jun 20;20(1):97.
doi: 10.1186/s11671-025-04286-8.

Emerging trends and perspectives on nano-fertilizers for sustainable agriculture

Ankush Goyal  1 , Sachin S Chavan  2 , Rajendra A Mohite  3 , Israr A Shaikh  1 , Yogesh Chendake  1 , Dadaso D Mohite  4
Affiliations
Review

Emerging trends and perspectives on nano-fertilizers for sustainable agriculture

Ankush Goyal et al. Discov Nano. .

Abstract

The intensifying global demand for agricultural products has been met with the excessive use of conventional fertilizers, leading to significant environmental pollution, soil and water degradation, and public health concerns. This challenge has been further exacerbated by the pressures of globalization, necessitating the adoption of more sustainable and efficient farming practices. As a promising solution to these issues, nanotechnology has been explored for its innovative approaches to enhance nutrient delivery and reduce environmental impact. In this review, the potential of various nano-fertilizers-including nano-NPK, nano-nitrogen (N), nano-phosphorous (P), nano-potassium (K), nano-iron (Fe), hydroxyapatite (HAP)-modified urea nanoparticles, and nano-zeolite composite fertilizers-has been investigated for improving crop productivity and sustainability. The applications in key crops such as wheat, potato, maize, and rice have been analyzed, with significant yield improvements reported: 20-55% for wheat, 20-35% for potato, 20-40% for maize, and 13-25% for rice. Additionally, grain yield enhancements of 20-55% for wheat, 22-50% for maize, and 30-40% for rice have been observed. It has been emphasized that the optimization of nano-fertilizer concentrations and application methods is crucial to ensure plant health and environmental safety. The transformative role of nano-fertilizers in advancing sustainable agriculture to address global food security challenges has been underscored.

Keywords: Conventional fertilizers; Crop yield; Maize; Nano-NPK; Nano-fertilizers; Nanotechnology; Potato; Rice; Wheat.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics, consent to participate, and consent to publish: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Biological yield of wheat plants treated with various nano-fertilizers (in ton/ha)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Plant height of wheat plants treated with various nano-fertilizers (in cm)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Biological yield of the potato plant when treated with nano-NPK in tons/ha
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Biological yield of maize plant when treated with various nano-fertilizers in ton/ha
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Plant height of maize plants when treated with various nano-fertilizers (cm)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Biological yield of rice plant when treated with various nano-fertilizers in ton/ha
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Plant height of maize plants when treated with various nano-fertilizers (cm)
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Challenges and environmental implications of nanomaterials in agriculture [42]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tripathi AD, Mishra R, Maurya KK, Singh RB, Wilson DW. Estimates for world population and global food availability for global health. In: The role of functional food security in global health. Elsevier; 2019. p. 3–24. 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00001-3.
    1. Meena DS, Gautam C, Patidar OP, Meena HM. Nano-fertilizers is a new way to increase nutrients use efficiency in crop production. Int J Agric Sci. 2017;9(7):7.
    1. Vaishya K, Pratap D, Bhushan A, Srivsatava A, Siddqui S. Nano fertilizer: a boon to environment-friendly agriculture. Int J Environ Clim Change. 2022;12(11):3217–28. 10.9734/ijecc/2022/v12i111369.
    1. Kadam SA, Kadam PS, Mohite DD. Design and experimental analysis of a closed-loop autonomous rotary hydroponics system for revolutionizing fenugreek yield and enhancing food security. Discov Sustain. 2024;5(1):137. 10.1007/s43621-024-00339-7.
    1. Chavan SS, Mohite RA, Mohite DD, Deshmukh RS, Sawant R. Design and analysis of bamboo fiber-based anchor spray irrigation system for sustainable water management in agriculture. Int J Interact Des Manuf IJIDeM. 2024. 10.1007/s12008-024-01953-5.

LinkOut - more resources