A team of Danish scientists are striving to make a breakthrough in plant nutrition by developing a phosphorus-based nanofertilizer. While there has already been a large amount of nanotechnology research conducted in the field of agrichemicals, this latest study is taking an entirely new approach. Unlike other studies, it is attempting to encapsulate phosphorus in biodegradable nanoparticles that plants can then absorb directly through their leaves. This would avoid the need to bind the phosphorus to the soil before absorption.
Wheat takes on a reddish hue when lacking phosphorus
The study is being conducted at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, with financial support from Innovation Fund Denmark. Their backing is based on the innovative idea that plants could absorb phosphorus more effectively through their leaves than their roots.
The approach is so novel that project manager Søren Husted, plant sciences professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, believes that, “The project heralds a paradigm shift, where we can use phosphorus precisely when plants need it.”
Not only would this be a more efficient application method for the plant, but if successful, the research could solve one of modern farming biggest problems; the effect of fertilizer excess and build-up in the environment.
As the University of Copenhagen observes, “Every year, farmland is over-fertilized with phosphorus. The excess accumulates in soil without benefitting crop production. In fact, only 15-25 percent of phosphorus inputs benefit plant growth.”
Nanofertilizers offer agribusiness the best chance of lowering its environmental impact and farm input costs. In fact, Husted expects that they will be able to reduce current agricultural phosphorus use by 25-30 percent. This prediction is based not only on a more efficient and direct application, but also because nanofertilizers, “… make it easier to limit fertilization to times in the growing cycle when crops are able to exploit phosphorous.”
“The goal is to replace the 25 kilograms per hectare of phosphorus currently used on an annual basis, with between 5-8 kg of phosphorus that will enter plants directly. In doing so, we will be able to bypass the soil altogether and the mechanisms that bind fertilizer in a form that is useless to plants. The enormous quantity of phosphorus used today will never be absorbed by plants and is a colossal waste of a precious and limited natural resource. It also poses an environmental problem as phosphorous inevitably leaches into aquatic environments," says Husted.
However, while the ecological advantages are to be commended, the team is still focused on making the business case for using phosphorus in nanofertilizers, as they are aware that any new product must be economically competitive with conventional fertilizers.
As Flex Fertilizer System’s product manager Allan Holm Nielsen notes, “We must demonstrate that the new phosphorus fertilizer is more effective than current fertilizers. Because the fertilizer will be more expensive, we must be able to justify the price premium. If there is an economic incentive, the doors will open for those farmers who might not necessarily have the means to afford the price increase."
Others on the project are more confident that the new method will sell itself. “It is of financial benefit for farmers and of great benefit to the environment,” explains Leif Knudsen, Senior Consultant for fertilizers at SEGES, a project partner. "It truly is a ‘win-win’ if we succeed in optimizing phosphorus uptake in crops.”
AG CHEMI GROUP is a supplier of industrial raw materials for fertilizers, including potassium sulfate and potassium carbonate.
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Photo credit: DeptofNanotechnology, UniversityofCopenhagen, IATP and YouTube.
