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First liquid nano urea plant

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    2nd Jun, 2022

Context

During his visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol.

About Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)

  • Urea is chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
  • 2-4 ml of nano urea should be mixed a litre of water and sprayed on crop leaves at active growth stages.
  • It is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
    • The size of a nano nitrogen particle varies from 20-50 nm. (A nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre.)
      • liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water.
  • It is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
    • Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
  • The product has been developed at IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC) at Kalol. 
    • According to IFFCO, liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water.

Conventional urea & liquid nano urea  

  • The efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
    • While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent.
  • Liquid nano urea is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant. Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
    • Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporised or lost as gas. A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.

Significance

  • It is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea, increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.
  • Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.
  • This patented product is expected to not only substitute imported urea, but to also produce better results in farms.
  • Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea.

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