Effect of nano-fertilizers on soil microflora

Nano fertilizers are one of the recent advancement tools in agriculture that are developed with an aim to increase nutrient use efficiency, reduce wastage of fertilizers and indirectly the cost of cultivation. Besides this they improve the growth and yield of crop and the quality parameters. Nano-fertilizers are very effective for precise nutrient management in precision agriculture with matching the crop growth stage for nutrient and may provide nutrient throughout the crop growth period. However, it has also been speculated that nano-fertilizers can increase the crop growth up to certain optimum concentrations, further increase in concentration may cause nutrient toxicity thereby inhibiting the crop growth. It is also necessary to assess the effect of slow release nano-fertilizer on the soil enzyme activity and soil microbial population. The introduction of nano-fertilizers into the natural environment may pose threat to beneficial microbial communities. The impact of nano-fertilizers on microbial activity could be determined through measurement of soil respiration and enzymatic activities. This review would therefore focus on the effect of nano-fertilizers on the activity of soil microorganisms including both their beneficial and deleterious effects.