Agricultural practices in modern society have a detrimental impact on the health of the ecosystem, environment, and consumers. The significantly high usage rate of chemicals causes serious harm, and the sector demands the development of innovative materials that can foster improved food production and lessen ecological impacts. The majority of layered double hydroxides (LDH) are synthetic. At the same time, some of them occur in the form of natural minerals (hydrotalcite), which have recently emerged as favorable materials and provided advanced and ingenious frontiers in various fields of agriculture through practical application possibilities that can replace conventional agricultural systems. LDH can exchange anions intercalated between the layers in the interlayer structure, and there is evidence that atmospheric carbon dioxide and moisture can completely break down LDH over time. Due to certain unique properties such as tunable structure, specific intercalation chemistry, pH-dependent stability, as well as retention of the guest molecules within interlayers and their subsequent controlled release, LDHs are increasingly investigated as materials to enhance yield, quality of crops, and soil in recent times. This review aims to present the current research progress in the design and development of LDH-based materials as nanoscale agrochemicals to illustrate its relevance in making agro-practices more sustainable and efficient. Specific emphasis is given to the functionality of these materials as effective materials for the slow release of fertilizers and plant growth factors as well as adsorption of toxic agrochemical residues and contaminants. Relevant research efforts have been briefly reviewed, and the potential of LDH as new generation green materials to provide solutions to agricultural problems for improving food productivity and security has been summarized.
Nitrate-loaded Zn/Al, Mg/Al, and Mg−Zn/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthesized using the coprecipitation method. The slow-release properties of LDHs were measured in powder form at various pH conditions. Sodium alginate was used to encapsulate Mg/Al LDH to produce composite beads (LB) to further slow down the release of nitrate ions. The prepared LDH samples and LB were characterized by X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The surface morphologies of LDHs and LB were obtained from scanning electron microscopy analysis. The slowrelease properties of the materials were evaluated using a kinetic study of nitrate release in tap water, soil solution, as well as plant growth experiments using coriander (Coriandrum sativum). The nitrate release ability of LDHs and LB was compared with a soluble nitrate source. The plant growth experiments showed that all three LDHs were able to supply an adequate amount of nitrate to the plant similar to the soluble fertilizer while maintaining the availability of nitrate over extended periods. The ability of LDHs to increase soil pH was also demonstrated.
The utilization of slow-release fertilizer materials capable of responding to their environment and releasing nutrient ions efficiently over a prolonged period is an emerging research area in agricultural materials sciences. In this study, two-dimensional layered materials were prepared to release phosphor ions (P) slowly into the soil as well as in the hydroponic system. Various P-intercalated layered double hydroxides (LDHs) (Mg/Al, Zn/Al, and Mg-Zn/Al-LDHs) with a molar ratio of 2:1 were synthesized using an ion-exchange method from corresponding LDHs containing NO3 – ions within the layers. Sodium alginate (SA) was used to encapsulate P-intercalated Mg/Al-LDH to produce bionanocomposite beads (LB) to check the effect of the biopolymer matrix on the release characteristics. The prepared materials were characterized by XRD and FTIR to confirm the incorporation of P in LDHs. TGA, SEM, and elemental analysis were also performed to study the thermal decomposition pattern, surface morphology, and chemical composition of synthesized materials. The P-release experiments were conducted in a soil solution. The performance of the prepared materials was investigated in soil as well as in a hydroponic system for tomato plants under a controlled atmosphere of humidity, temperature, and light. The fertilization ability of the prepared materials was compared with that of a soluble P source (KH2PO4), commercial hydroponic fertilizer (Nutrifeed), and a commercial soil slow-release fertilizer (Wonder plant starter). The prepared materials demonstrated a slow release of P in the soil solution. P-intercalated LDHs were not very effective under hydroponic conditions; however, the LDHs were more effective in the soil system in terms of dry matter production and P content in dry matter. Furthermore, LDHs were able to increase the soil pH value over time.
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