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Publication
The use of nanofertilizers to increase precision in rice production
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Rice cultivation (Oryza sativa L.) has a widespread use of fertilizers and pesticides since it is
necessary to produce larger quantities and also prevent the effect of pests, diseases and weeds, in
order to fulfil the food demands of a growing world population.
For the use of phosphorus, the limit set by Bertolami & Francisco (2020), at the Planetary
Boundaries, has already been exceeded, causing marked disturbances in the earth system,
meaning that its delivery, although indispensable, must be carried out precisely and in forms that
can be easily assimilated by crops. The scarcity of phosphorus and the consequent increase in its
price in recent years also impose the urgency of new forms of application. Nanofertilizers can
provide a precise and more sustainable way of application, as the amount of raw material is
reduced. Likewise, the pressure on aquatic ecosystems is reduced, since rice is grown in flooded
beds and therefore losses to water bodies have to be reduced.
The aim of this work is to develop phosphorous nanofertilizer pellets, which use slow release
technology to ensure the precise and efficient application of phosphorus to rice crops along the
cycle, and to verify their possible effect as a biostimulant. The use of suitable and sustainable
supports for nanofertilizers is extremely important as the main challenge for their use is the
amount of support required to successfully deliver the active substance (Ekebafe et al., 2011). The
proposed pellets will consist of poly-beta-amino-esters (PBAE), graphene oxide (GO), chitosan,
poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and the active substance. Development of the pellets will
comprise component integration and design, followed by kinetic tests to assess its stability under
different conditions. Ecotoxicology tests, at different trophic levels, will be performed to ensure
that there are no ecotoxicity effects from the use of any component and/or combination of
components. Finally, when all the preparatory tests are concluded, feedback will be given to the
development stage and improvements will be made to optimize the pellets. When the optimization
process is complete, the pellets will be tested in pilot rice assays where conventional fertilizer will
be used as control. If the pellets prove to be effective and without any harmful effect, its use can
be spread to other fertilizer and other crops towards a more sustainable production.
Description
Keywords
Chitosan Controlled release substance Graphene oxide; Layer-by-layer technique PLGA
Citation
Saraiva, R.; Gonçalo, R.; Ferreira, Q. & Oliveira, M. (2021). The use of nanofertilizers to increase precision in rice production. 16th SDEWES2021 Conference: book abstracts. Zagreb: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture. p. 545
Publisher
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Zagreb