Nanotechnology in agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture in China: A review
Nanotechnologies have been less developed in agronomy than other disciplines, due to less investment, but nanotechnologies have the potential to improve agricultural production. In this article at Springer Link (PDF), the authors review more than 200 reports on nanoscience in agriculture, livestock and aquaculture in China since the 1990s. The major findings of the research are: 1) nanotechnologies used for seeds and water have improved plant germination, growth, yield and quality; 2) nanotechnologies could increase the storage period for vegetables and fruits; 3) for livestock and poultry breeding, nanotechnologies have improved animal immunity, oxidation resistance, reduced use of antibiotics and less manure odour; 4) nanotechnologies for water disinfection in fishpond increased water quality and increased yields and survivals of fish and prawn; 5) nanotechnologies for pesticides increased pesticide performance threefold and reduced cost by 50 %; and 6) nano urea increased the agronomic efficiency of nitrogen fertilization by 44.5 % and the grain yield by 10.2 %, versus normal urea.