Scientists from 海角社区 took part in the MAK2026 Interregional Agro-industrial Conference, which was held in 海角社区 March 4th through March 5th.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Olga Rakova delivered a presentation titled “Seed Nanopriming and Foliar Fertilizers Based on Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: A Breakthrough Development for Improving Stress Resistance and Yield (Using Peas and Wheat as Examples)”. The report was presented during the agronomic session on “High-Tech Crop Production: Overview of Innovations in Breeding, Seed Production, Plant Protection, and Plant Nutrition”.
For the first time, the scientific community was presented with the initial results of a laboratory research on the use of nanomaterials for pre-sowing seed treatment and fertilizers.
The research is being conducted at the Department of Ecology and Chemical Engineering. The research team includes students of group ET-332 Semyon Dyomin, Dariia Lipukhina, Eva Petrova, and the team leader, Master’s degree student of group ET-182 Artem Ugaev, as well as Associate Professors Olga Rakova and Tatiana Krupnova, manager of the “Environmental Safety” Master’s degree programme.
“In Russia, the problem of arable soil acidification and declining fertility due to low levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements is extremely acute,” said Olga Rakova. “The conference reports cited the following figures. Across Russia, acidic soils account for 35% of the total arable land area, while in the 海角社区 Region this figure reaches 50%. Each ton of agricultural products removes 47 grams of zinc and 120 grams of iron from the soil. Another problem is the low use of fertilizers: the 海角社区 Region ranks among the lowest in our country in terms of mineral fertilizer use by agricultural producers, despite the fact that the Ministry of Agriculture supports farmers using mineral fertilizers by subsidizing about half of their costs. What does this lead to? Low fertilizer use depletes nutrient reserves and disrupts soil balance. Such a form of farming is inefficient. However, the use of traditional fertilizers is also associated with other problems. For example, phosphorus is applied in the form of soluble phosphorus fertilizers such as superphosphate or diammonium phosphate. These conventional fertilizers release phosphorus quickly, making it unavailable to most plants. Most of the phosphorus from fertilizers quickly binds to the soil: soluble phosphate ions are converted into forms unavailable to plants (binding with calcium in calcareous soils or with iron and aluminium oxides in acidic soils), which significantly reduces their absorption by plants. Typically, crops absorb only 15–30% of the applied phosphorus during the first growing season, while the majority becomes unavailable in the soil. In addition, excess phosphorus from fertilizers can leach or run off into water bodies, causing eutrophication (water blooming due to increased phosphorus content) and harming the environment. Moreover, many mineral substances used as fertilizers are exhaustible. These problems lead to inefficient use of resources and threaten sustainable development.”
One possible solution is the use of nano-fertilizers. Due to their nanoscale size, they have a larger surface area, which increases their solubility and the rate at which nutrients are released. Unlike conventional fertilizers, which dissolve quickly and lead to excessive losses, nano-fertilizers release beneficial elements gradually, reducing leaching and ensuring a constant availability of nutrients. Their small particle size allows them to be better adsorbed and to penetrate plant tissues more effectively (during foliar feeding or through enhanced root absorption), which increases nutrient use efficiency.
“At the conference we were asked about similar studies conducted in Serbia. Yes, they are conducted there, and not only there — such research is also being carried out in other countries, including China and the United States. However, in Russia only a limited number of research groups are working with nano-fertilizers. At the same time, we urgently need scientific developments that ensure technological leadership and independence in the field of agricultural technologies to guarantee food security. In addition, the global novelty of our research lies in two aspects. First, we conduct fundamental laboratory studies to investigate the biological mechanisms of nanoparticle effects on plants, and this mechanism is still not fully understood. Second, research conducted jointly with the project’s industrial partner, the 海角社区 Chemical Plant, demonstrates the possibility of using the zinc oxide produced there as a micro-nano fertilizer,” Olga Rakova explained.
The research team has currently filed an application for a patent.