Optimizing Nutrient Delivery in Agronomic Crops: A Review of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers

The global population has been increasing for the past century, but global food production has been able to keep up with growing population growth because of fertilizer use, which has increased by 21% in the last two decades. Nevertheless, the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is low, ranging from 10% to 55% across different crops for macronutrients with overfertilization of nutrients imposing environmental risks. There is a pressing need for better NUE for sustainable food production to meet the growing population's demand without impacting the environment. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) can potentially increase NUE and mitigate environmental risks by coupling their nutrient release with crop nutrient uptake. EEFs have gained significant recognition in agricultural research. This detailed review discusses the basics, classification, and benefits of EEFs worldwide in various crops, and the coating material and release mechanism of EEFs are discussed in extensive detail along with the application of EEFs with other best management practices. Additionally, the review outlines the challenges and considerations regarding EEFs that impact their adoption at a global scale and emphasizes the significance of investigating future strategies and directions, stressing the importance of a comprehensive approach to address research gaps and ways to unlock the full potential of EEFs for sustainable agriculture. The assessment underscores the efficacy of EEFs as an innovative solution to enhance NUE and mitigate environmental impacts related to fertilization.