Title: Evaluation of Urea Embedded Nano Silica to Enhance Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice–Wheat Sequence on Subtropical Mollisols of Northern India

Biography:

Shri Ram is working as Professor, Soil Science and has expertise in evaluation of nano materials to enhance nutrients use efficiency by crops. He has done lot of work on improving the soil fertility and soil quality and recently dealing  as Principal Investigator of All India Coordinated Research Project on Long Term Fertilizer Experiments.  This study opens  a new pathway to researchers involve in enhancing nutrients use efficiency by rice and wheat crops.

Abstract

Green house study was conducted for evaluation of mesoporous nano silica (mNS) loaded with urea  under rice–wheat sequence on Mollisols of northern India. Study consisted  N levels    ( 0, 30, 60 ,90 and 120 kg ha-1) through ordinary urea and urea loaded mNS with uniform dose of P and K for both crops. Urea dissolved in magnetized distilled water (MDW) to enhance urea loading efficiency into mNS. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) used to characterized  mNS. Results showed that growth, yield characteristics , yields and nutrients uptake by rice and wheat were  more than double with nitrogen applied through mNS compared to N applied through ordinary urea. Whereas, lower doses of nitrogen @ 30 and 60 kg N ha-1 through urea loaded mNS resulted at par growth parameters, yield attributes, yields and nutrients uptake by rice and wheat compared to N applied @ 120 kg ha-1 through ordinary urea. Maximum increase in grain yields of rice (60.5%) and wheat (55.5 %) were by N applied @ 120 kg ha-1 through urea embedded mNS over N applied @ 120 kg ha-1 through ordinary urea followed by nitrogen applied @ 90 and 60 kg N ha-1 through urea embedded mNS.  All treatments of urea embedded mNS, showed significant increase in available N, P, K and S in soils over control and nitrogen @ 30 and 60 kg N ha-1 through ordinary  urea . Remarkable increase in root biomass and  root volume occurred with urea loaded mNS compared N applied through ordinary urea over. It concluded that sustained release of nitrogen from the urea embedded mNS gave tremendous benefit to crops, which are preliminary indication but it opens doors to use nano materials as an efficient fertilizer material for saving nitrogen.