Improving utilization rate of foliar nitrogen fertilizer by surface roughness engineering of silica sphere

As a result, the SUH-Si with the largest roughness surface among of three carriers leads to the change of adhesion capacity of FNF on the surface of plant leaf, thus resulting in superior infiltration effect of nitrogen fertilizer. Compared with the traditional FNF, the adhesion capacity of FNF with SUH-Si on peanut leaf and maize leaf were increased by 5.9 times and 2.2 times respectively, resulting in 2.29 times improved utilization rate of FNF by SUH-Si.

Finally, the contact angle measurement, microstructure analysis, as well as the calculation of interaction forces between silica sphere and plan leaf surface provided in-depth understanding for improving adhesion capacity of foliar nitrogen fertilizer by surface roughness engineering of silica sphere. Our study would be helpful for developing high-efficiency utilization rate of FNF by surface roughness engineering.