UoH, ARCI researchers develop chemically stable fertilizer

Application in reduced quantity may significantly cut down on overall input of conventional phosphorous-fertilizers

Material scientists and plant biologists from the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) have developed an industrially viable dry method to generate chemically stable and smaller nano-diammonium phosphate (n-DAP) fertilizer that would reduce over-dependence on chemical fertilisers. Subsequent testing of both types of fertilizers on tomato and wheat seedlings demonstrated an extraordinary superiority of nano-DAP fertilizer over the conventional granular DAP (c-DAP). In the lab-scale experiments, the reduced quantity of nano-DAP fertilizer input than c-DAP promoted the early seedlings growth and development in both crops. It also led to enhanced phosphate uptake efficiency in these seedlings. Based on these promising results in the lab-scale experiments, the research team is now planning to test the efficacy of nano-DAP on tomato plants under field conditions.