Foliar fertilizer
AssigneeThe University of Queensland
InventorsLongbin Huang, Anh Van Nguyen, Victor Rudolph, Gordon Xu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Nanocrystalline compounds containing essential nutrients have been synthesized to have effective physical and chemical characteristics, including a high contact surface area/total surface area ratio that provides maximal leaf surface contact, limited mobility and improved solubility, a net positive charge, soluble salt-forming groups, and reactive surface edges for cation exchange to release nutrient cationic ions into the water film on leaf surfaces.
Claims22
A foliar fertilizer composition comprising water-soluble fertilizing nanoparticles having a ratio of contact surface area to total surface area of greater than 1:4, a platelet morphology, and an overall positive surface charge in water at neutral pH, wherein the fertilizing nanoparticles consist essentially of:
- a cationic nutrient element selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, potassium, and magnesium;
- and
- one or more groups capable of forming a water-soluble salt with the cationic nutrient element.
A method of delivering a nutrient to a plant, comprising:
- providing a water-soluble foliar fertilizer composition comprising a fertilizing nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid carrier, the fertilizing nanoparticles having a ratio of contact surface area to total surface area of greater than 1:4, a platelet morphology, and an overall positive surface charge in water at neutral pH, wherein the fertilizing nanoparticles consist essentially of:
- a cationic nutrient element selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, potassium, and magnesium;
- and
- one or more groups capable of forming a water-soluble salt with the cationic nutrient element;
- and
- applying the foliar fertilizer composition to the plant.
A method of formulating a foliar fertilizer composition, comprising:
- providing water-soluble fertilizing nanoparticles having a ratio of contact surface area to total surface area of greater than 1:4, a platelet morphology, and an overall positive surface charge in water at neutral pH, wherein the fertilizing nanoparticles consist essentially of:
- a cationic nutrient element selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, potassium, and magnesium;
- and
- one or more groups capable of forming a water-soluble salt with the cationic nutrient element;
- and
- dispersing the fertilizing nanoparticles in a liquid carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.