Improvement of nutritional quality of food crops with fertilizer: a global meta-analysis

Abstract

Providing the world’s population with sufficient and nutritious food through sustainable food systems is a major challenge of the twenty-first century. Fertilizer use is a major driver of crop yield, but a comprehensive synthesis of the effect of fertilizer on the nutritional quality of food crops is lacking. Here we performed a comprehensive global meta-analysis using 7859 data pairs from 551 field experiment-based articles published between 1972 and 2022, assessing the contribution of fertilization with a wide set of plant nutrients to the nutritional quality of food crops (i.e., fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses/oil crops, and sugar crops). On average, fertilizer application improved crop yield by 30.9% (CI: 28.2–33.7%) and nutritional quality (referring to all nutritionally relevant components assessed; carbohydrates, proteins, oil, vitamin C, representative mineral nutrients, and total soluble solids) by 11.9% (CI: 10.7–12.1%). The improvements were largely nutrient- and crop species dependent, with vegetables being the most responsive. Potassium, magnesium, and micronutrients played important roles in promoting crop nutritional quality, whereas the combined application of inorganic and organic source(s) had the greatest impact on quality. Desirable climatic conditions and soil properties (i.e., silt loam, soil organic matter 2.5–5.0%, and pH 4.5–8.5) supported further enhancements. Considering cross-continent responsiveness, the increase in the nutritional quality of food crops with fertilizer application was greatest in Africa. In a nutshell, our findings pave the way towards a quantitative understanding of nutrient management programs and responsible plant nutrition solutions that foster the sustainable production of nutritious and healthy food crops for human consumption.

Response of cucumber cultivars to organomineral fertilizer rate in rainforest savannah

“…This was presumably attributable to higher nutrition of the fertilized plants. This was also in line with the research of Ishfaq et al [25], who reported that at any experimental site, the combine organic and inorganic fertilizer help to increase the odds of fulfilling the need for the most limiting nutrient. Early application of organomineral fertilizer improved vegetative growth because the cucumber plant concentrates assimilate to vegetative structures at an early stage.…”

“…Rainfall was a major influence to increase the yield of cucumber. Environmental conditions change the physicochemical properties of soil and plant performance substantially [25]. Cucumber planting took advantage of the rainfall for development and grew faster.…”

Effects of urea topdressing time on yield, nitrogen utilization, and quality of mechanical direct-seeding hybrid indica rice under slow-mixed fertilizer base application

“…4.3 Mechanism of slow-mixed fertilizer base application combined with available N fertilizer synergistic improvement of grain yield, rice quality, and NUE Previous studies have shown the types and release rates of controlled-release N fertilizers as well as their effectiveness in increasing rice yield through one time basal application (Ke et al, 2018;Wu et al, 2021). These studies also investigated the physiological regulatory mechanisms under different soil types, varieties, and planting methods (Lyu et al, 2021b;Cheng et al, 2022;Meng et al, 2022;Ishfaq et al, 2023). However, there are few studies on the combined application of urea-N fertilizers under slow-mixed fertilizer base applications, especially in mechanical direct-seeding rice.…”

Optimizing Nitrogen Nutrient Management for the Sustainable Enhancement of Secondary Metabolites and Yield in Onion Cultivation

“…3 Variant-fertilization at a rate of 140 kg N ha −1 + fertilization at a rate of 19 kg of available sulfur (SO4 2+ ) per hectare (N+S). 4 Variant-fertilization at a rate of 140 kg N ha −1 + fertilization at a rate of 19 kg of available sulfur (SO4 2+ ) per hectare + 5 kg of iron (Fe 2+ ) per hectare (N+S+Fe).…”

“…In the dynamic landscape of modern agriculture, understanding the intricate interplay between fertilization practices, particularly nitrogen (NH 4+ ), iron (Fe 2+ ), and sulfur (SO4 2− ) applications, and their impact on the nutritional profile of crops is imperative [1][2][3]. It is recognized that the selection or recommendation of an optimal fertilization system is crucial for each plant, as it contributes to achieving a high yield and ensuring the quality of plant products for food consumption [4,5]. For example, effective quality improvement technology for garlic (Allium sativum L.) involves defining the metabolic transformation of sulfur-containing compounds under exogenous regulation by mineral elements, specifically increasing alliin and organic sulfides in garlic bulbs while maintaining productivity.…”