Controlled release micronutrient fertilizers for precision agriculture – A review

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2020-04, Vol.712, p.136365-136365, Article 136365
• Main Authors: Mikula, Katarzyna, Izydorczyk, Grzegorz, Skrzypczak, Dawid, Mironiuk, Małgorzata, Moustakas, Konstantinos, Witek-Krowiak, Anna, Chojnacka, Katarzyna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bioavailability; Coating; Hydrogels; Microelements; Nano-fertilizers; Plant nutrition
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136365

The rapid growth of the global population and the resulting need to ensure sufficient food safety in highly productive agricultural practices. Intensive cultivation of plants contributes to the impoverishment of soils and thus forces farmers to apply intensive fertilization with microelements. Precise fertilization techniques are the future of agriculture, in which nutrients are supplied in controlled way with minimized losses to the environment, caused by leaching to groundwater. Kinetics of nutrients release should be thus adjusted to plant requirements and kinetics of uptake by the plant. The paper presents current achievements in the field of fertilizers with controlled release of microelements, which, apart from the main fertilizer components, are also very significant for proper plant growth. Fertilizers are divided into four basic groups, which include low-solubility fertilizers, fertilizers with external coating, bio-based and nano-fertilizers. Despite structural differences, all groups show properties of controlled microelement release. The paper presents new fertilization technologies with consideration of their influence on the environment. [Display omitted] •New trends in micronutrient fertilization were discussed.•Controlled-release micronutrient fertilizers are the future of precision agriculture.•CRF application eliminates the problem of over-fertilization.•Residues from the agri-food sector as eco-friendly fertilizers