Agriculture is a constantly growing sector that meets the food requirement of a country and also contributes to the nation's economy. We can not imagine our life without basic needs like food, cloth and shelter which are fulfilled by agri products. It’s now challenging to meet those basic needs of a rapidly growing population and constantly decreasing land area. To meet the nation's food grain requirements , countries like India started the green revolution in the mid 19th century focusing more production. It causes over utilisation of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in the agri sector which results a negative impact on the environment and also lowers farmers income due to spending more on those agri inputs.
Urea is the main chemical fertilser used by Indian farmers in their field. But it has a more negative impact on soil and water. Over utilisation of urea also has a negative impact on the economy of India as India spends more in subsidising the fertiliser products.
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. ( IFFCO), India’s largest fertiliser manufacturing and marketing cooperative organisation develops a unique product Nano Urea (liquid).It has a great advantage over conventional urea. So let’s start to know more about IFFCO Nano Urea (liquid), its importance and use.
*image source: IFFCO
What is Nano Urea?
Urea is the fertilising product which supplements the nitrogen requirement of plants. It is marketed in India in granular/prilled form in 45kg bag which costs 266.50/-
Nano urea (liquid) is a nano technology based liquid formulation urea which has greater advantages over conventional granular/prilled urea.
Liquid Nano Urea contains nanoscale nitrogen particles which have more surface area (10,000 times over 1 mm Urea prill) and more number of particles (55,000 nitrogen particles over 1 mm Urea prill).which makes it more effective.
In comparison to conventional urea, the uptake efficiency of Nano Urea is more than 80 %. So it is required in lesser amounts in comparison to the conventional urea fertiliser.
Average size of Nano Urea particles is in the range of 20 -50 nm. It contains 4 % nitrogen by weight in nano form.
It is now available in the market by IFFCO in 500ml bottles with a price of 240/- per bottle.
IFFCO claims a 500ml bottle of liquid nano urea can replace a marketed bag of a conventional urea.
Nitrogen content in a healthy plant ranges from 1.5 to 4%. So Foliar application of Nano Urea (Liquid) at critical crop growth stages of a plant effectively fulfils its nitrogen requirement and leads to higher crop productivity in comparison to conventional urea.
When nano urea is sprayed on leaves, due to its smaller size; it easily enters through leaf stomata and other openings and is assimilated by the plant cells. Unutilised nitrogen is stored in the plant vacuole and is slowly released as per requirement of the plant.
It can be applied on almost every crop.
Conventional urea not fully utilized by the plant after application to the crop field. Most of the urea leached out and polluted soil, water and air.
Nano urea (liquid) applied as foliar application. So its wastage is less as compared to granular urea.
Due to its less wastage its efficiency in plant uptake is more which results in higher productivity.
It is available at a cheaper rate as compared to conventional urea. So farmer’s input costs will be reduced.
It’s use also helps in lowering the input subsidy provided by the government to subsidise the conventional urea fertiliser.
Storing and transportation of conventional granular urea is also creating problems, as it requires huge storage space at dealer points and also farmers make expenditures to transport that materials to their field.
In overall nano urea (liquid) is safe for the environment and improves the farmer's income by lowering his input expenditure.
IFFCO claims nano urea can reduce the requirement of conventional Urea use by 50%.
How to apply IFFCO Nano Urea in a crop field?
Nano urea is available in the market as liquid formulation so it is applied as foliar spray.
Recommended dose of liquid nano urea is 3-4ml per liter of water. (500ml per acre).
It should be applied in 2 doses. First spray at maximum tillering /branching stage. Mostly 25-30 days after sowing or transplanting. Second spray before onset of flowering.
Spray only on plant leaves. As it is not recommended to be applied on soil or in drip irrigation.
IFFCO trails nano urea compatibility with some specific plant protection chemicals. So you may consult IFFCO field staff before mixing other chemicals with nano urea during spray.
If there is immediate rain after spray you may go for another spray for desired result.
So do not spray on rainy days or at speed wind drift.
Wear hand gloves and eye glasses during spray of nano urea or any plant protection chemicals to avoid any health hazards.
Specific information about IFFCO Nano Urea
IFFCO Nano Urea (liquid) has been tested for biosafety and toxicity level as per the guidelines of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India and OECD international guidelines.
Nano Urea (liquid) is completely safe for humans, animals, birds, soil organisms and the environment at the recommended dose of application.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, DAC & FW, Government of India, has notified IFFCO Nano Urea (Liquid) as a nano-fertiliser under the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO).
Where to purchase IFFCO Nano Urea?
A farmer can purchase IFFCO nano urea from its nearest fertiliser sale counter or can order online from https://www.iffcobazar.in.
Bottom line
Hope this article may provide some basic ideas about IFFCO Nano urea (liquid) and its benefits. Farmers should adopt new improved technology in the agri sector for more productivity, and which has a lesser impact on the environment and helps in improving their income.
Thank you.
*Information source: IFFCO
2 Comments
Very well explained sir
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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