Christian Dimkpa

• Ph.D, University of Jena and Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena, Germany
• Head of Department at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Biochar (BC), a carbon-rich material produced through pyrolysis, has garnered attention for its versatility in feedstock utilization and applications in agriculture, medicine, green energy, environmental remediation, and carbon management. This study investigated the adsorption properties of BC from water hyacinth (WH) stem and leaf biomass pyrolyz...

Biochar (BC), a carbon-rich material produced through pyrolysis, has garnered attention for its versatility in feedstock uti-lization and applications in agriculture, medicine, green energy, environmental remediation, and carbon management. This study investigated the adsorption properties of BC from water hyacinth (WH) stem and leaf biomass pyroly...

Biochar (BC), a carbon-rich material produced through pyrolysis, has garnered attention for its versatility in feedstock utilization and applications in agriculture, medicine, green energy, environmental remediation, and carbon management. This study investigated the adsorption properties of BC from water hyacinth (WH) stem and leaf biomass pyrolyz...

Phosphorus (P) is a crucial macronutrient for plant growth, root development, and yield. Commercial P fertilizers have low efficiency of delivery and utilization and are lost from plant root zones by either low availability or leaching or surface runoff that leads to environmental damage. This review investigates how nano P fertilizers (NPFs) can o...

Iron nanoparticles were phytosynthesized from biomass residues of two subspecies of Cannabis sativa (ssp. sativa and ssp. indica) and evaluated as a nanofertilizer for soybean growth. Both nanoparticles were identified as magnetite (Fe3O4) with a dry size smaller than 30 nm. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from ssp. indica (Fe NP-I) were...

Addressing lead (Pb) pollution and contamination in soil and agriculture is urgent due to its widespread and long-lasting impacts on human health, food safety, and the environment. In the current study, we assessed the potential use of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) in alleviating Pb toxicity in germinating seedlings. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed...

This critical review comprehensively analyses nano-sized metal oxide fertilizers (NMOFs) and their transformative potential in sustainable agriculture. It examines the characteristics and benefits of different NMOFs, such as zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel, calcium, titanium, cerium, and silicon oxide nanoparticles. NMOFs offer uni...

Mustard (Brassica juncea) is a major oilseed and medicinal crop and its consumption has considerably increased with growing human population, leading to greater demand than supply. Increasing production and productivity of oilseed brassica to meet out the projected demand of edible oils, crop management strategies need to be fabricated and implemen...

Phosphatic fertilizers are indispensable for sustainable agriculture, but phosphorus (P) scarcity has drawn global attention with respect to research and policy discussions. Soil conditions (pH, organic matter, metal oxides), P-fertilizer form and its application methods, and plant growth mechanisms influence plant P availability. Given the no...

In this study, a circular solution to enhance the food and water nexus by using a zero-waste process to produce carboxylated nanocellulose adsorbents from a model lignocellulose feedstock (jute) for ammonium (NH4⁺) nutrient recovery and reuse was demonstrated. The study represents a new pathway to close the nitrogen loop that will be suitable for s...

With the growing recognition that conventional agriculture will not be able to meet food production demands, innovative strategies to reach food security are imperative. Although nanoscale fertilizers are attracting increased attention as a sustainable platform for agricultural applications, limited data exist on how surface charge influences overa...

The widespread proliferation of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in aquatic ecosystems has raised significant ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic concerns globally. These concerns include reduced biodiversity, impeded water transportation and recreational activities, damage to marine infrastructure, and obstructions in power generatio...

A combination of rapid population growth, climate change, and environmental degradation have placed immense pressure on global food sources and increased food security concerns especially in developing economies like those of African countries. Notably, efforts to produce food for the rising human population have continued to burden arable lands ac...

The efficacy, targeting ability, and biocompatibility of plant-based nanoparticles can be exploited in fields such as agriculture and medicine. This study highlights the use of plant-based ginger nanoparticles as an effective and promising strategy against cancer and for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections and related disorders. Gi...

The large-scale manufacturing, extensive use, ineffective management, and improper disposal of plastics and plastic-containing products have made them one of the most significant environmental concerns of today. The transport of micro and nano plastics (MNPs) between terrestrial and freshwater environmental compartments, including reciprocal contri...

The United States Agriculture Improvement Act passed in December of 2018 legalized the growing of Cannabis sativa containing not more than 0.3% total Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the country. While Cannabis sativa has been cultivated for hundreds of years, the illegal status of the plant in the United States, and elsewhere, has hindered th...

Several studies have reported improved weed control and targeted delivery of herbicides by nanocarriers. However, the effects on crops and non-target organisms need to be considered. Here, we investigate the...

Salinity is a significant abiotic stress that is steadily increasing in intensity globally. Salinity is caused by various factors such as use of poor-quality water for irrigation, poor drainage systems, and increasing spate of drought that concentrates salt solutions in the soil; salinity is responsible for substantial agricultural losses worldw...

The addition of biochars and nanoparticles with adsorbed Azotobacter vinelandii and Bacillus megaterium alleviated damage from Fusarium infection in both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) plants. Tomato and watermelon plants were grown in greenhouse for 28 and 30 days (respectively) and were treated with either nanopa...

In this study, zinc and copper oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) leaves (ZnONP-HL and CuONP-HL), and their antifungal potential was assessed against Fusarium virguliforme in soybean (Glycine max L.). Hemp was selected because it is known to contain large quantities of secondary metabolites that can potential...

Phosphorus (P) loss from agro-ecosystems impinges upon P use efficiency by plants and thereby constitutes both agronomic and environmental nuisances. Herein, we report on the potential for controlling P leaching loss and application in crop fertilization through repurposing and nano-functionalizing tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a sole P source. The dev...

https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/43404

Enhancing use efficiency of applied fertiliser increases farmers’ returns on fertiliser investment through reducing nutrient inputs and improving yields. We investigated on-farm how indigenous nutrient supply and management practices affected N, P, and K uptake, agronomic efficiency and recovery efficiency of fertiliser, and physiological efficienc...

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces chronic food insecurity associated with soil degradation and the peculiar aftermath of climate change and exacerbated by rising population and historically poor agricultural practices. Notably, use of mineral fertilizers has the potential to counteract soil degradation in SSA; it drives an increased agricultural produ...

Foliar application could improve grain iron (Fe) concentration (GFeC) by following 4Rs, i.e., the right Fe compound with right concentration sprayed at the right growth stage with right number of sprays. We studied the Fe mobilisation towards grain and its use efficiency using chelated-Fe and nano-Fe compounds in rice. Various Fe formulations [Fe-c...

Climate change is more likely to have a detrimental effect on the world’s productive assets. Several undesirable conditions and practices, including extreme temperature, drought, and uncontrolled use of agrochemicals, result in stresses that strain agriculture. In addition, nutritional inadequacies in food crops are wreaking havoc on human health,...

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a tree crop cultivated extensively in the eastern Mediterranean regions but that has become naturalized in other regions as well. The present study focused on the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) from Carob and their evaluation for antimicrobial activity in bacteria and fungi. The synthesized ZnON...

Little is known about the effect of nano sulfur (NS) under field conditions as a multifunctional agricultural amendment. Pristine and surface coated NS (CS) were amended in soil at 200 mg/kg that was planted with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Foliar exposure of CS (200 μg/mL) was also include...

Nanoscale sulfur can be a multifunctional agricultural amendment to enhance crop nutrition and suppress disease. Pristine (nS) and stearic acid coated (cS) sulfur nanoparticles were added to soil planted with tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) at 200 mg/L soil and infested with Fusarium oxysporum. Bulk sulfur, ionic sulfate, and healthy controls were...

In this study, we investigated the effects of citric acid (CA) coated copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and their application method (foliar or soil exposure) on the growth and physiology of soybean (Glycine max). After nanomaterials exposure via foliar or soil application, Cu concentration was elevated in the roots, leaves, stem, pod, and seeds...

Global agriculture is urgently seeking ways to mitigate the detrimental effects of conventional chemical fertilizers on the environment. Biodegradable, eco-friendly, renewable energy-sourced next-generation fertilizers could be an answer, allowing for improved nutrient use efficiency and a lower environmental footprint. During the last decade, agri...

Increasing productivity per unit area, hence closing the yield gap, is key to meeting cereal demand in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed, with 114 farmers, the contribution of recommended agronomic practices (RAP) with or without NPK fertilization on yield gaps, and options to intensify productivity. Treatments included farmers’ practice (FP) as cont...

Nanoscale nutrients are promising for improving crop performance. However, size-induced potential for drifting, segregation, or transformation warrants strategies to streamline fertilization regimes. Herein, we developed three nanofertilizers by coating urea granules with Zn nanoparticles capped with binary capping agents: N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) a...

After use, a large number of engineered materials (ENMs) are directly or indirectly released into the environment. This may threaten the agricultural ecosystem, especially with crops under high demand for irrigation water, such as rice (Oryza sativa L.), a crop that feeds nearly half of the world's population. However, consistent and detailed infor...

Nanoscale sulfur was investigated as a multi-functional agricultural amendment to simultaneously enhance crop nutrition and suppress disease damage. Pristine (nS) and stearic acid coated (cS) sulfur nanoparticles were added to soil (0, 100, or 200 mg/L) that was planted with tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) and infested with the Fusarium wilt pathog...

Although phosphorus (P) is an essential element, its availability to plants is often limited, and P-containing fertilizers must be supplemented to stimulate plant performance. However, the inefficiencies and negative environmental impacts associated with current nutrient delivery strategies have motivated interest in nanotechnology-enabled agricult...

Nutrient deficiencies limit rice production in sub-Saharan Africa. The conventional recommended remedy for this is the soil application of fertilizers composed of the macro-nutrients, N, P and K, whereas crop micronutrient requirements are neglected. This leads to nutrient mining and diminished fertiliser use efficiency. Application of micronutrien...

Rice is a staple food and cash crop for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa; however, yields are very low, with indications that both macro and micro-nutrients may limit rice productivity in East Africa next to the need for good agronomic practices. Diagnostic on-farm experiments were conducted in Uganda and Tanzania between 2015 and 2017 to...

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: URBAN AGRICULTURE-FOOD SECURITY The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is seeking a full-time Assistant Scientist II research position with a focus on urban agriculture and food security. Global food insecurity is projected to increase dramatically in the next 30 years and food production must increase by 60-100% to...

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is one of the major diseases of eggplants. Nanoparticles (NP) of CuO, Mn2O3, and/or ZnO were sprayed alone onto leaves young eggplants and in different combinations and rates and then seedlings were transplanted into soil infested with V. dahliae in the greenhouse and field during 2015-2018. All co...

Drought (40% field moisture capacity), organic fertilizer (O-F; 10%), and nano vs. bulk-ZnO particles (1.7 vs. 3.5 mg Zn/kg) were assessed in soil to determine their interactive effects on wheat performance and nutrient acquisition. Drought significantly reduced (6%) chlorophyll levels, whereas nano and bulk-ZnO alleviated some stress, thereby incr...

Despite nitrogen (N) being the most important crop nutrient, its use as fertilizer is associated with high losses. Such losses pollute the environment and increase greenhouse gas production and other environmental events associated with high ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emission. They also cause soil nitrate leaching and run-off that po...

Mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers support high crop yields and contribute to feeding the teeming global population. However, complex edaphic processes cause P to be immobilized in soil, hampering its timely and sufficient availability for uptake by plants. The resultant low use efficiency of current water-soluble P fertilizers creates significant...

Drought (40% field moisture capacity), organic fertilizer (O-F; 10%), and nano vs. bulk-ZnO particles (1.7 vs. 3.5 mg Zn/kg) were assessed in soil to determine their interactive effects on wheat performance and nutrient acquisition. Drought significantly reduced (6%) chlorophyll levels, whereas nano and bulk-ZnO alleviated some stress, thereby incr...

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) hold promise as novel fertilizer nutrients for crops. However, their ultra-small size could hinder large-scale field application due to potential for drift, untimely dissolution or aggregation. In this study, urea was coated with ZnO-NPs (1%) or bulk ZnO (2%) and evaluated in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a gree...

Societal Impact Statement Fertilizer nutrients are essential for food and nutrition security, but a large proportion of nutrients applied to soil are lost because they are unavailable to plants. The extent of these nutrient losses exceeds safe and sustainable limits. Societal awareness of this is limited because it can take many seasons for nutrien...

In this study, the impact of cerium oxide nanoparticles on the nutritional value of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit grown in soil infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici was investigated in a greenhouse pot study. Three-week-old seedlings of Bonny Best tomato plants were exposed by foliar and soil routes to nanoparticle CeO2 (NP CeO...

We are pleased to let you know that the final version of your article Zinc oxide nanoparticles alleviate drought-induced alterations in sorghum performance, nutrient acquisition, and grain fortification is now available online, containing full bibliographic details. To help you access and share this work, we have created a Share Link – a personaliz...

Drought is a major environmental event affecting crop productivity and nutritional quality, and potentially, human nutrition. This study evaluated drought effects on performance and nutrient acquisition and distribution in sorghum; and whether ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) might alleviate such effects. Soil was amended with ZnO-NPs at 1, 3, and 5 mg...

The use of nanomaterials in agriculture as nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, or nano-enabled sensors to increase crop yield is gaining increasing interest. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can improve crop productivity by influencing fertilizer nutrient availability in soil and uptake by plants. These materials can suppress crop diseases by directly...

Using solar energy to convert triple bonded molecular dinitrogen from the air into fixed nitrogen products that act as nutrients for plants presents an opportunity to develop ‘‘solar fertilizers.’’ The approach has much in common with solar fuels and chemicals but also has some unique advantages and challenges. The possibility of producing nitrogen...

Plant response to microelements exposure can be modulated based on particle size. However, studies are lacking on the roles of particle size and specific microelements in mixed exposure systems designed for plant nutrition, rather than toxicology. Here, an addition-omission strategy was used to address particle-size and element-specific effects in...

This study evaluated weathered and fresh ZnO-nanoparticles and Zn-salt effects on nutrient acquisition and redistribution in wheat. Weathered and fresh ZnO-nanoparticles and Zn-salt significantly increased grain yield by 15% and 29%, respectively. Post-harvest soil acidification indicated ZnO-nanoparticles dissolved during growth. Zn was significan...

Page 6467. In Table 3, for ref 46, the correct crop is wheat. The authors regret the error.

Nanoparticles are used in a variety of products, including fertilizer-nutrients and agro-pesticides. However, due to heightened reactivity of nano-scale materials, the effects of nanoparticle nutrients on crops can be more dramatic when compared to non nano-scale nutrients. This study evaluated the effect of nano manganese-(Mn) on wheat yield and n...

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The use of nanoparticles in plant protection may reduce pesticide usage and contamination and increase food security. In this study, three week-old Solanum lycopersicum seedlings were exposed, by root or foliar pathways, to CeO2 nanoparticles and cerium acetate at 50 and 250 mg/L prior to transplant into sterilized soil. One week later, the soil wa...

Fertilizers produce over half of the world’s food and permit less encroachment into pristine lands. Yet, the low uptake efficiency by crop plants causes nutrient losses that drive global change. Mitigating measures have been insufficient to address the problems, and policy interventions, NGO involvement, and R&D investments have been too insignific...

Publishing in Journal of Basic Microbiology

This study explored the use of foliar sprays with nanoparticles (NP) of B, CuO,MnO, SiO, TiO, and ZnO to protect watermelon against Fusariumwilt. Leaves of young watermelon plants were sprayed (1 to 2 ml per plant) with NP suspensions (500 to 1,000 mg/ml) and were planted in potting mix infested with Fusariumoxysporumf. sp. niveum. In five of eight...

This study evaluated the effects of ZnO nanoparticles (NP) or Zn salt amendment on sorghum yield, macronutrient use efficiency, and grain Zn-enrichment. Amendments were through soil and foliar pathways, under ‘‘low’’ and ‘‘high’’ NPK. In soil and foliar amendments, grain yield was significantly (p≤0.05) increased by both Zn types, albeit insignific...

Interaction among plant nutrients can yield antagonistic or synergistic outcomes that influence nutrient use efficiency. To provide insight on this phenomenon, peer-reviewed articles were selected that quantified the interaction effects of nutrients on crop yield levels. In total 94 articles were selected that described 117 interactions between all...

The increasing food demand due to the rising global population has prompted the large-scale use of fertilizers. Due to resource constraints and low use efficiency of fertilizers, the cost to the farmer is increasing dramatically. Nanotechnology offers a great potential to tailor fertilizer production with the desired chemical composition, improve t...

Low nutrient levels in soil are a recognized limitation to crop production. Yet, farmers in certain agro-ecoregions either do not apply fertilizers, apply inadequate amounts, or apply the wrong fertilizers due to a mismatch with the nutrient needs of their soil. In many cases, lack of availability of wet chemistry capabilities contribute to farmers...

Mineral fertilizers are key to food production, despite plant low nutrient uptake efficiencies and high losses. However, nanotechnology can both enhance crop productivity and reduce nutrient losses. This has raised interest in nano-scale and nano-enabled bulk fertilizers, hence the concept of nanofertilizers. Nevertheless, large-scale industrial pr...

Drought decreases crop productivity, with economic consequences for farmers. For soybean, drought particularly affects the reproductive phase. There is therefore a need for strategies that minimize drought effects, such as agronomic fortification with micronutrients. Here, we evaluated the mitigation of drought stress in soybean using composite for...

Billions of people and many soils across the planet suffer from micronutrient (MN) deficiencies impairing human health. In general, fertilization of deficient soils, according to soil test, with MNs alone and in combination with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) baseline treatment increases crop yield. The soil applied fertilizer-MN use ef...

Despite concerns about the ability of China to be self-sufficient in food, it has increased the per capita availability of food for its 1.4 billion people and dramatically reduced food insecurity over the past decades. However, China's self-sufficiency in food production came with dramatic environmental trade-offs due to excessive use of fertilizer...

Siderophores are low molecular weight secondary metabolites produced by microbes under iron deficiency, to supply iron to the organism. In the rhizosphere crops associated with siderophoreproducing microbes may obtain iron through microbially-produced siderophores. There are different classes of siderophores such as hydroxamate, catecholate and mix...

Micronutrients are essential mineral elements required for both plant and human development. However, micronutrients are often lacking in soils, crop, and food. Micronutrients are therefore used as fertilizer to increase crop productivity, especially when the application of conventional NPK fertilizers is not efficient. Here, we review the applicat...

Meeting human needs within the ecological limits of our planet calls for continuous reflection on, and redesigning of, agricultural technologies and practices. Such technologies include fertilisers, the discovery and use of which have been one of the key factors for increasing crop yield, agricultural productivity and food security. Fertiliser use...

CuO and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have antimicrobial effects that could lead to formulations as pesticides for agriculture or medicine. The responses of two soil-borne plant pathogenic Pythium isolates to the NPs were studied to determine the potential of these metal oxide NPs as pesticides. Growth of the P. ultimum isolate was more sensitive to CuO...

Exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) that release metals with potential phytotoxicity could pose problems in agriculture. This study used growth in a model growth matrix, sand, to examine the influence of 5 mmole/kg of Na, K, or Ca (added as Cl salts) and root exudates on transformation and changes to the bioactivity of CuO and ZnO NPs on wheat. These s...

Plants require nutrients for unimpaired growth. Many plant strategies for acquiring nutrients from the soil involve root exudates that facilitate the detachment from the soil solid phase and the transport to the plant root. In this report, root exudation related to acquisition of nutrients other than nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P) has been consider...

Nanotechnology has the potential to play a critical role in global food production, food security, and food safety. The applications of nanotechnology in agriculture include fertilizers to increase plant growth and yield, pesticides for pest and disease management, and sensors for monitoring soil quality and plant health. Over the past decade, a nu...

http://www.vfrc.org/getdoc/2e569d75-799e-45e9-a8a4-e0dfb67d1324/VFRC_Report_2015-2.aspx The exponential growth in nanotechnology during the last decade has begun to revolutionize multiple industries and has a projected market value of $3 trillion by 2020 (Roco et al., 2011). Nanotechnology encompasses the production, characterization and applicat...

Zn is an essential element for plants yet some soils are Zn-deficient and/or have low Zn-bioavailability. This paper addresses the feasibility of using ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as soil amendments to improve Zn levels in the plant. The effects of soil properties on phytotoxicity and Zn bioavailability from the NPs were studied by using an acidic and...