Urea is a widely available nitrogen-based fertilizer, while nano urea is the newer nanotechnology-based urea in which the nitrogen particles are much smaller than those in urea. This means the plants can absorb more of them, which may lead to lower environmental effects and possibly better crop yields as compared to regular urea. In short, nano urea is a highly concentrated and exactly delivered form of nitrogen to the plants.
- Urea
- A widely used chemical fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.
- Can be applied to the soil as granules or liquid
- If not applied with proper techniques, this may cause nitrogen loss through leaching and volatilization.
- Nano Urea
- This makes use of nanotechnology where urea is broken down into tiny particles increasing the surface area to better allow the absorption by plants.
- It can be applied by foliar spray and direct uptake by the leaves.
- Claimed to be more efficient in delivering nitrogen to plants, reduce environmental pollution from fertilizer overuse.
Nano Urea
- What is Nano Urea?
- Liquid nitrogen fertilizer developed by IFFCO in 2022 marketed as a cheaper substitute for regular urea.
- Key Claim
- A 500 ml bottle of nano urea can replace 52 kg of regular urea, when sprayed at critical growth stages thus reducing aggregate urea consumption and import bills.
- Application
- Method Nano urea is sprayed on the leaves at the flowering stages as opposed to traditional urea that is applied directly to the soil.
Key Findings of the Study
- Decline in Crop Yields
- Paddy and wheat yields accounting for 70 of India’s annual food grain production declined in the presence of nano urea Protein content in grains declined by 35 in rice and 24 in wheat.
- Low Efficiency
- Plants were unable to use most of the nitrogen from nano urea sprays. Instead it used the majority of nitrogen coming from soil.
- Reduction in root characteristic length and dry weight that impacts uptake of nutrients.
- Economic Impacts
- Early adoption may result in permanent yield loss, reduced grain quality and economic loss to farmers.
Nano Urea Issues
- Conflicting Findings
- While IFFCOs earlier experiments were successful independent experiments revealed that the results were not consistent.
- New Variants
- IFFCO is working on variants containing 8 and 20 nitrogen content but there is no evidence of improved yield.
- India needs 350 lakh tonnes of urea every year of which it imports 40 lakh tonnes.
- Subsidized urea is sold to farmers at 242 per 45kg bag though the government pays more than 3000 to produce it.
Conclusion and Recommendations
- Long term comprehensive assessments are required before nanourea can affect yields and improve soil health. This would be prejudicial to livelihoods of Indian farmers and Indian food security through largescale and early adoption.
- Focus Areas for Future Research should comprise better optimization of formulations improved uptake of nitrogen and less reduction in yield.
