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Fertilizers are one of the costly inputs in agriculture and development of nutrient efficient fertilizers is need of the hour. Keeping in view of the above, slow release coated urea fertilizers are developed and the N loss from different coated urea fertilizers in a Vertisol was studied in comparison with normal urea. The coated fertilizers used were neem, 4% pine oleoresin (POR), 35% nano-rock phosphate and 2% nano-ZnO coated urea. In later two cases nanoparticles were loaded over 4% POR coated urea during preparation. Application of coated urea fertilizers such as neem coated urea and pine oleoresin coated urea in a Vertisol reduced the ammonia volatilization by 27.5% and 41.1%, respectively. Similarly, reduction of NO 3-N leaching due to application of neem, resin, nano-rock phosphate and nano-ZnO coated urea were 18.3%, 28.0%, 25.7% and 35.1%, respectively. The reduction of N volatilization and leaching losses imparted by coated urea fertilizers could be a viable N source for crops. However field level validation experiments have to be carried out to assess the efficacy of these coated fertilizers in enhancing crop yield and nutrient use efficiency.

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Industrial sector in India is witnessing rapid growth since the last decade of twentieth century with reforms in economic laws and with establishment of special economic zones (SEZ). Such rapid industrial growth has also increased threat to the environment. In spite of great difficulty in its remediation in comparison with polluted air and water, soil pollution as a threat to human life is by and large ignored at national level in India due to lack of comprehensive information on the subject. Though coordinated effort on assessment of soil pollution is absent at national level, sporadic information has been generated by several researchers on various aspects of pollution affecting soil quality. This chapter analyses these information and attempts to assess the quantum of threat being faced by agroecosystem in the country. It indicates that soil resources are facing threats from deliberate use of contaminated organics, amendment materials and irrigation water or from atmospheric depositions, spillage of effluents etc. Nature pollutants varies from salts, toxic metals, metalloids, persistent organics with varying degree of toxicity and may be of both industrial and geogenic origins.

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