Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Exploring the synergistic impact of straight fertiliser, nano-fertiliser and biostimulants on growth, yield and quality of cabbage

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13114
Submitted
7 December 2025
Published
01-07-2026

Abstract

Integrating nano-fertilisers with conventional chemical inputs and biostimulants offers a pathway to sustainable intensification in heavy-feeding horticultural crops. A field experiment was conducted at the Central Research Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), West Bengal, during the 2021–22 Rabi season to evaluate the synergistic impact of straight fertilisers, nano-fertilisers and biostimulants on the growth, yield and quality of cabbage. The experiment was designed in randomized block design (RBD) with 3 replications 9 treatments, including combinations of straight and nano- fertilisers, were tested to achieve optimal yield targets. Among the 9 treatments, T9 comprising the soil test crop response (STCR) dose for 550 q ha-1 yield target (134.5 kg nitrogen (N) ha-1 from urea + 2920 ppm N from nano-urea + 155 kg phosphorus ha-1 from single superphosphate [SSP] + 278 kg K ha-1 from muriate of potash [MOP] + 400 ppm Sagarika [seaweed extract 28 % w/w]) recorded the maximum plant height (25.86 cm), leaf length (26.63 cm), leaf width (25.20 cm), number of non-wrapper leaves (14.33), polar length (16.87 cm), equatorial diameter (17.82 cm), fresh weight of plant (2.09 kg), head weight (1.39 kg), marketable yield (627.67 q ha-1 ), total sugar (4.92 %), reducing sugar (2.97 %), non-reducing sugar (1.95 %) and ascorbic acid (17.57 mg / 100 g) while achieved the lowest moisture content (84.50 %). From an economic perspective, T9 generated the highest profitability with gross return (₹ 313835 ha-1), net income (₹ 202639.9 ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (B:C Ratio) (1.82). However, maximum total soluble solids (TSS) of 6.761 °Brix were observed in T6 (STCR dose for 550 q ha-1 through straight fertilisers), while the highest moisture content (90.55 %) was recorded in the control (T1). These findings suggest that integrating nano-fertilisers with conventional fertilisers and biostimulants enhances cabbage growth, quality and profitability presenting a promising approach for sustainable crop production.

References

  1. 1. Ali UM. Integrated nutrient management: a review on effects of combined organic and inorganic fertilisers on cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata Linn.) production in Ethiopia. J Sci Technol Arts Res. 2025;14(3):R1-4.
  2. 2. Zhang Y, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Peng R, Zhang Z, Xu Z, et al. Bioactive sulforaphane from cruciferous vegetables: advances in biosynthesis, metabolism, bioavailability, delivery, health benefits and applications. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025;65(15):3027-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2024.2354937
  3. 3. Oenema O, de Klein C, Alfaro M. Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints. Crop Pasture Sci. 2014;65(6):524-37. https://doi.org/10.1071/CP14001
  4. 4. Krasilnikov P, Taboada MA, Amanullah. Fertiliser use, soil health and agricultural sustainability. Agriculture. 2022;12(4):462. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12040462
  5. 5. Liu L, Zheng X, Wei X, Kai Z, Xu Y. Excessive application of chemical fertiliser and organophosphorus pesticides induced total phosphorus loss from planting causing surface water eutrophication. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):23015. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02521-7
  6. 6. Ye L, Zhao X, Bao E, et al. Bio-organic fertiliser with reduced rates of chemical fertilisation improves soil fertility and enhances tomato yield and quality. Sci Rep. 2020;10:177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56954-2
  7. 7. Kumar Y, Singh T, Raliya R, Tiwari KN. Nano fertilisers for sustainable crop production, higher nutrient use efficiency and enhanced profitability. Indian J Fertil. 2021;17(11):1206-14.
  8. 8. Babu S, Singh R, Yadav D, Rathore SS, Raj R, Avasthe R, et al. Nanofertilisers for agricultural and environmental sustainability. Chemosphere. 2022;292:133451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133451
  9. 9. Goyal V, Rani D, Ritika, Mehrotra S, Deng C, Wang Y. Unlocking the potential of nano-enabled precision agriculture for efficient and sustainable farming. Plants. 2023;12(21):3744. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213744
  10. 10. Wen P, Wu Z, Han Y, Cravotto G, Wang J, Ye BC. Microwave-assisted synthesis of a novel biochar-based slow-release nitrogen fertiliser with enhanced water-retention capacity. ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2017;5(8):7374-82. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01721
  11. 11. Upadhyay PK, Singh VK, Rajanna GA, Dwivedi BS, Dey A, Singh RK, et al. Unveiling the combined effect of nano fertilisers and conventional fertilisers on crop productivity, profitability and soil well-being. Front Sustain Food Syst. 2023;7:1260178. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1260178
  12. 12. Aziz T, Maqsood MA, Kanwal S, Hussain S, Ahmad HR, Sabir M. Fertilisers and environment: issues and challenges. In: Crop production and global environmental issues. Cham: Springer; 2015. p. 575-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23162-4_21
  13. 13. Chhipa H. Nanofertilisers and nanopesticides for agriculture. Environ Chem Lett. 2017;15(1):15-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-016-0600-4
  14. 14. Hu J, Xianyu Y. When nano meets plants: a review on the interplay between nanoparticles and plants. Nano Today. 2021;38:101143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2021.101143
  15. 15. Peters R, Brandhoff P, Weigel S, Marvin H, Bouwmeester H, Aschberger K, et al. Inventory of nanotechnology applications in the agricultural, feed and food sector. EFSA Support Publ. 2014;11(7):621E. https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2014.EN-621
  16. 16. Manjunatha SB, Biradar DP, Aladakatti YR. Nanotechnology and its applications in agriculture: a review. J Farm Sci. 2016;29(1):1-3.
  17. 17. Usman M, Farooq M, Wakeel A, Nawaz A, Cheema SA, ur Rehman H, et al. Nanotechnology in agriculture: current status, challenges and future opportunities. Sci Total Environ. 2020;721:137778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137778
  18. 18. Mahapatra DM, Satapathy KC, Panda B. Biofertilisers and nanofertilisers for sustainable agriculture: phycoprospects and challenges. Sci Total Environ. 2022;803:149990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149990
  19. 19. Jha A, Pathania D, Damathia B, Raizada P, Rustagi S, Singh P, et al. Panorama of biogenic nano-fertilisers: a road to sustainable agriculture. Environ Res. 2023;235:116456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116456
  20. 20. Das A, Babu S, Yadav GS, Ansari MA, Singh R, Baishya LK, et al. Status and strategies for pulses production for food and nutritional security in north-eastern region of India. Indian J Agron. 2016;61:43-57.
  21. 21. Manikandan A, Subramanian K. Evaluation of zeolite-based nitrogen nano-fertilisers on maize growth, yield and quality on inceptisols and alfisols. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2016;9(4):1-9. https://doi.org/10.9734/IJPSS/2016/22103
  22. 22. Raliya R, Saharan V, Dimkpa C, Biswas P. Nanofertiliser for precision and sustainable agriculture: current state and future perspectives. J Agric Food Chem. 2018;66(26):6487-503. : https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b02178
  23. 23. Du W, Yang J, Peng Q, Liang X, Mao H. Comparison study of zinc nanoparticles and zinc sulphate on wheat growth: from toxicity and zinc biofortification. Chemosphere. 2019;227:109-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.03.168
  24. 24. Chen J, Liu X, Wang C, Yin SS, Li XL, Hu WJ, et al. Nitric oxide ameliorates zinc oxide nanoparticles-induced phytotoxicity in rice seedlings. J Hazard Mater. 2015;297:173-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.04.077
  25. 25. Kah M, Kookana RS, Gogos A, Bucheli TD. A critical evaluation of nanopesticides and nanofertilisers against their conventional analogues. Nat Nanotechnol. 2018;13(8):677-84. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-018-0131-1
  26. 26. Ali S, Rizwan M, Noureen S, Anwar S, Ali B, Naveed M, et al. Combined use of biochar and zinc oxide nanoparticle foliar spray improved the plant growth and decreased the cadmium accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019;26(11):11288-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04554-y
  27. 27. Salam A, Khan AR, Liu L, Yang S, Azhar W, Ulhassan Z, et al. Seed priming with zinc oxide nanoparticles downplayed ultrastructural damage and improved photosynthetic apparatus in maize under cobalt stress. J Hazard Mater. 2022;423:127021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127021
  28. 28. Selim YA, Azb MA, Ragab I, Abd El-Azim HM. Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Deverra tortuosa and their cytotoxic activities. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):3445. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60541-1
  29. 29. Milani N, McLaughlin MJ, Stacey SP, Kirby JK, Hettiarachchi GM, Beak DG, et al. Dissolution kinetics of macronutrient fertilisers coated with manufactured zinc oxide nanoparticles. J Agric Food Chem. 2012;60(16):3991-8. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf205191y
  30. 30. Sabir S, Zahoor MA, Waseem M, Siddique MH, Shafique M, Imran M, et al. Biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using Bacillus subtilis: characterization and nutritive significance for promoting plant growth in Zea mays L. Dose Response. 2020;18(3):1559325820958911. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559325820958911
  31. 31. Khan ZS, Rizwan M, Hafeez M, Ali S, Javed MR, Adrees M. The accumulation of cadmium in wheat (Triticum aestivum) as influenced by zinc oxide nanoparticles and soil moisture conditions. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019;26(19):19859-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05333-5
  32. 32. Mullen A. Expectations from nano in agriculture. Nat Nanotechnol. 2019;14(6):515-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-019-0471-5
  33. 33. Ranganna S. Handbook of analysis and quality control for fruit and vegetable products. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company; 1986. p. 12-123.
  34. 34. Panse VG, Sukhatme PV. Statistical methods for agricultural workers. 4th ed. New Delhi: ICAR; 1985.
  35. 35. Kalia A, Kaur H. Agri-applications of nano-scale micronutrients: prospects for plant growth promotion and use-efficient micronutrient fortification. In: Nanoscale engineering in agricultural management. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2019. p. 81-105. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315123950-5
  36. 36. Upadhyay PK, Sen A, Singh Y, Singh RK, Prasad SK, Sankar A, et al. Soil health, energy budget and rice productivity as influenced by cow products application with fertilisers under South Asian Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains Zone. Front Agron. 2022;3:758572. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2021.758572
  37. 37. Afify RR, El-Nwehy SS. Nano fertilisers with algae extract as biostimulant affecting growth, bulb yield and quality of onion. SABRAO J Breed Genet. 2023;55(6):2128-39. https://doi.org/10.54910/sabrao2023.55.6.24
  38. 38. Khaveh MT, Alahdadi I, Hoseinzadeh BE. Effect of slow-release nitrogen fertiliser on morphologic traits of corn (Zea mays L.). J Biodivers Environ Sci. 2015;6(2):546-59.
  39. 39. Al-Baghdadi NA, Shammari AM. The effect of foliar spraying with the nano fertiliser Optimus-plus on the growth and yield of four varieties of kohlrabi. Nabatia. 2024;12(1):55-68.
  40. 40. Nurhidayati N, Ali U, Murwani I. Yield and quality of cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) under organic growing media using vermicompost and earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus inoculation. Agric Agric Sci Procedia. 2016;11:5-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.12.002
  41. 41. Al-Juthery HW, Al-Maamouri EH. Effect of urea and nano-nitrogen fertigation and foliar application of nano-boron and molybdenum on some growth and yield parameters of potato. Al-Qadisiyah J Agric Sci. 2020;10(1):2. https://doi.org/10.33794/qjas.Vol10.Iss1.107

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.