Coated Controlled-Release Fertilizers: Potential Solution for Sustainable Agriculture

The use of fertilizer in the agricultural field is essential for plant growth but an excess amount of pure chemical contents in fertilizers becomes harmful to every living being. To reduce this chemical exposure, the use of materials coated with Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRFs) are being used. The coating of materials outside the fertilizer does not allow the chemicals to spread completely within one application of fertilizer but its spread can be extended as will be done in 2-3 applications of fertilizer. The features of the undercoating material are thus vital to attain this delayed or slow release of the nutrients present in the fertilizer. The longevity of CRFs depends upon the width of the material coating surrounding the fertilizer, temperature, and moisture. The review focuses on the consequences of conventional fertilizers, the need to control the release of fertilizers and types of coatings used, and their application in sustainable agriculture.