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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Slow-release fertilizers improve micronutrient uptake and boost morphological, physiological and nutritional traits in tomato

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.9402
Submitted
10 May 2025
Published
14-09-2025
Versions

Abstract

Slow-Release Fertilizers (SRFs) provide substantial environmental advantages over conventional fertilizers by mitigating nutrient losses via leaching, volatilization and surface runoff. By synchronizing nutrient release with plant uptake, SRFs enhance nutrient use efficiency while minimizing the risk of soil and water contamination. The development of SRFs plays a pivotal role in reducing the environmental footprint and enhancing the yield and quality of crops while minimizing nutrient losses. Keeping all this points in mind an attempt was made to develop a SRF using four essential micronutrients- zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) based on crop’s nutrient requirement which was coated with different polymers comprising a total of 12 treatments. A field trial was conducted to evaluate the results during the Rabi season (November to February) in Tamil Nadu. The results demonstrated that treatment T8 (MNF coated with biochar + humic acid @ 28 kg ha-1) followed by T7 (MNF coated with biochar + humic acid @14 kg ha-1) significantly enhance the growth, chlorophyll content and quality parameters of tomato compared to uncoated (T3 & T4) and absolute control plot (T1). This study concludes that SRFs can provide a solution to effective nutrient release. Further, it draws attention towards use of biochar and humic acid in attaining marked improvements highlighting their potential to meet crop nutritional demands efficiently over time.

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