Shandong Agricultural University’s research shows that foliar fertilizers using graphene as a carrier are more targeted

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Graphene, hailed as the \"black gold of the 21st century,\" is enhancing the quality of crop fertilizers as well as the effectiveness of their application, thanks to its extremely large specific surface area, excellent chemical plasticity and stability, and strong capacity to carry nutrient components for crops. At the high-level conference on university-industry cooperation in the field of agricultural bionanochemistry, held on July 12 in Tai’an, Shandong Province, as well as the conference on how advanced carbon nanomaterials can contribute to the development of new agricultural technologies, experts explained that foliar fertilizers using graphene as a carrier are more targeted in their action. Studies have shown that the unique properties of graphene enhance plants’ ability to absorb nutrients, reduce the loss of nutrients and trace elements in fertilizers, and improve crops’ resilience to stress. Song Xiaoxiao, the R&D director of Shandong Lite Nano Technology Co., Ltd., explained that the use of graphene nanomaterials in fertilizers offers three key benefits. Firstly, it improves the utilization rate of fertilizer nutrients. The high specific surface area of graphene enables it to adsorb fertilizer nutrients, enhancing its ability to retain NH4+ and K+. This helps to effectively control the loss of nutrients through volatilization at the surface, surface runoff, and deep percolation, slows down the rate of nutrient release, reduces leaching losses, and significantly increases the efficiency of using nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It can also bind different nutrients together, thereby providing a slow-release effect ； Secondly, it enhances the absorption by crop roots, prompting the crops to secrete more organic acids and auxins; this increases the root surface area, boosts soil microbial activity, optimizes the rhizosphere environment, and accelerates ion exchange, thereby making nutrients more readily available for absorption by the crops ； Thirdly, by reducing fertilizer loss, it helps to effectively alleviate agricultural non-point source pollution and lower the risk of environmental pollution, which is in line with the development trends of sustainable agriculture. Foliar fertilizers are fertilizers that are applied directly to plant leaves to enable rapid nutrient absorption. Such fertilizers can promote plant growth, alleviate nutrient deficiencies, and increase crop yields. Leaf feeding yields results more quickly compared to soil fertilization, according to Hou Shifeng, a professor at Shandong Agricultural University. Graphene is composed of carbon, the same element that makes up living organisms; after functional modification, it can remain on the leaves for an extended period and engage in positive interactions with plant cell walls and microbial membranes ； It also exhibits excellent compatibility in applications such as foliar fertilizers, seed coatings, and the remediation of saline-alkali soils ； Graphene quantum dots can enter plants through the pores on the leaf surface, thereby improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crops ； By using nanocarriers for the targeted delivery of nutrients, the utilization rate increases by over 35%. Dr. Ma Jianping, General Manager of Weiyi (Shandong) Biotechnology Development Co., Ltd., explained that applying foliar fertilizers containing graphene not only increases the absorption rate of nutrients but also enhances a crop’s resistance to cold, drought, high temperatures and other stress conditions, as well as its disease resistance. It helps prevent adverse symptoms such as mottled leaves, yellowing leaves, small leaves, stunted seedlings, failed flowering, and flowers that do not bear fruit, thereby enabling higher crop yields. In July 2024, they applied Weiyi Biology’s Enjin Graphene Composite Nanofertilizer to corn plants affected by waterlogging in Xuecheng, Zaozhuang, Shandong; the yield of such crops reached 800 jin per mu, whereas the corn plants that were not treated with this fertilizer suffered almost total crop loss. In April 2024, it was used for spraying on garlic in Jinxiang, Shandong; it resulted in a 13% increase in bolting and a 15% increase in garlic yield, thereby helping to boost the production, quality, and income from garlic.