Plant development is stunted due to the early growth phase deficiency of plant nutrients resulting curtail of the crop yield. In this study, an advanced seed coating was developed utilizing nanotechnology to achieve the effective delivery of plant supplements accomplishing sustainable and precise release characteristics. Zinc-doped hydroxyapatite/urea nanohybrid was synthesized employing a simple one-pot in situ sol-gel method. Characterization studies manifested a transformation of the lattice environment illustrating the successful doping of zinc into the hydroxyapatite matrix along with the fruitful incorporation of urea. Then, a seed coating was developed incorporating this nanohybrid, spread on maize seeds, and a pot experiment was performed to observe the growth parameters and nutrient availability. The triple nutrient system was responsible for escalating the germination percentage while enhancing plant development indexes such as plant height, plant girth, the number of leaves, root length, root weight, and shoot weight on Zea mays seeds. Moreover, enhancement of cob length, cob diameter, thousand-grain weight, and root-shoot nutrient contents have resulted in the presence of nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc in the early growth phase. The creation of a unique seed-coating based on modified hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as an efficient triple nutrient delivery system to improve plant growth and development is described in this context. As a macro-micro plant nutrient delivery agent, the nanohybrid is futuristic, and it offers up new avenues for researchers to investigate the appropriateness of metal-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in agriculture.

Plant nutrient delivery system for the enhancement of plant growth using an advanced coating on Zea mays seeds using modified hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

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