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Strategic Role of Nanotechnology in Fertilizers: Potential and Limitations

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Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture

Abstract

The field of nanotechnology has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and has had a measurable impact on all facets of our society, from electronics to medicine. Nevertheless, nanotechnology applications in the agricultural sector are still relatively underdeveloped. Nanotechnology has the potential to provide solutions for fundamental agricultural problems caused by conventional fertilizer management. Through this chapter, we aim to highlight opportunities for the intervention of nanotechnologies in the area of fertilizers and plant nutrition and to provide a snapshot of the current state of nanotechnology in this area. This chapter will explore three themes in nanotechnology implementation for fertilizers: nanofertilizer inputs, nanoscale additives that influence plant growth and health, and nanoscale coatings/host materials for fertilizers. This chapter will also explore the potential directions that nanotechnology in fertilizers may take in the next 5–10 years as well as the potential pitfalls that should be examined and avoided.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that this paper has since been retracted for copyright reasons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B6

    Emily Mastronardi, Phepafatso Tsae, Xueru Zhang & Maria C. DeRosa

  2. Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Carlos Monreal

Authors
  1. Emily Mastronardi
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  2. Phepafatso Tsae
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  3. Xueru Zhang
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  4. Carlos Monreal
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  5. Maria C. DeRosa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria C. DeRosa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, SGB Amravati University, Amravati, Maharashtra, India

    Mahendra Rai

  2. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-Instrumentation, Embrapa Instrumentation, Sao Carlos, Brazil

    Caue Ribeiro

  3. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-Instrumentation, Embrapa Instrumentation, Sao Carlos, Brazil

    Luiz Mattoso

  4. Institute of Chemistry Biological Chemistry Laboratory, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil

    Nelson Duran

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Mastronardi, E., Tsae, P., Zhang, X., Monreal, C., DeRosa, M.C. (2015). Strategic Role of Nanotechnology in Fertilizers: Potential and Limitations. In: Rai, M., Ribeiro, C., Mattoso, L., Duran, N. (eds) Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14024-7_2

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