Intelligent Regulation and Adsorption: A Green Revolution in Nitrogen Fertilizer Use

Nitrogen is a key element for crop growth, but the global average utilization rate of traditional nitrogen fertilizers is only 30%-50%. A large proportion of unused nitrogen is lost through ammonia volatilization, nitrate leaching, or greenhouse gas emissions, causing significant resource waste and severe environmental pollution. The core solution to this problem lies in achieving precise spatiotemporal matching between nitrogen supply and crop demand. Smart/stabilized fertilizers, centered on intelligent nitrogen regulation and adsorption technologies, are leading a profound agricultural technology revolution. They are no longer simple nutrient carriers but integrated "intelligent nutrient management systems" incorporating multidisciplinary wisdom from materials science, information sensing, and microbiology. Their aim is to maximize fertilizer benefits while minimizing environmental footprints, providing key technological support for the green and sustainable development of agriculture. I. Intelligent Nitrogen Regulation: Making Fertilizers "Think" The goal of intelligent regulation technology is to achieve on-demand, timely, and precise release of nitrogen, with its core lying in "sensing" and "responding" to environmental or biological signals. 1. Responsive Slow-Release Regulation: This is an outstanding application of materials science. By designing ingenious coating or carrier materials, fertilizers can be made to "understand" the "language" of crops. For example, urea encapsulated in nanoparticles made of polylactic-co-glycolic acid has a degradation rate regulated by the concentration of specific organic acids (like citric acid) secreted by roots. When root growth is active and nitrogen demand is high, increased citric acid secretion triggers accelerated degradation of the capsule wall, precisely releasing nitrogen. Field trials on corn show this technology can increase the synchronization rate between the nitrogen release curve and the root absorption peak to 92%. Similarly, pH-sensitive hydrogel coating materials can sense micro-changes in rhizosphere pH caused by crop ion uptake and automatically disintegrate when the pH drops to a specific threshold, making them particularly suitable for crops like rapeseed that strongly secrete H⁺ from their roots. 2. Intelligent Monitoring and Regulation: This represents the integration of digital agriculture and precision fertilization. By deploying IoT devices such as optical sensors and soil solution samplers in fields, real-time monitoring of soil nitrogen dynamics and crop nitrogen nutritional status is achieved. This data is fed into models for soil nitrogen transport and crop nutrient diagnosis, forming prediction and early warning systems. Ultimately, an intelligent decision-making system drives fertigation equipment to implement "prescription-based" variable rate fertilization. Trials in Tianjin showed that this technology system reduced nitrogen fertilizer input by over 30% while maintaining vegetable yields, achieving synergy between water/fertilizer saving and yield increase.

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