Source: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE submitted to NRP
PARTNERSHIP: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE NANOCOMPOSITES FOR IMPROVING NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY AND CROP YIELD AND REDUCING LOSS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1029878
Grant No.
2023-67021-39521
Cumulative Award Amt.
$748,845.00
Proposal No.
2022-08579
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jun 1, 2023
Project End Date
May 31, 2027
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[A1511]- Agriculture Systems and Technology: Nanotechnology for Agricultural and Food Systems
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
(N/A)
NEWARK,DE 19717
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Resource recovery from agricultural wastes and conversion into valuable products are critical for the circular economy and contribute to the USDA's goal of sustainable agriculture. The major objectives of this proposal are to synthesize amorphous and crystalline calcium phosphate (ACCP) nanocomposite as a novel, 'intelligent' nanofertilizer using recycled phosphorus from agricultural wastes and tune their properties to best match plant nutritional needs. Synthesized products will be tested in greenhouse and field trials in corn and soybean plants and soils and mass balance, stable isotope tracking, and microbial responses will be performed to fully understand the fate of the phosphorus in soils and crops. We will use nutrient and resource use efficiencies to compare the new product with conventional fertilizers used in agriculture. At the end of this project, we expect to develop a promising 'intelligent' nanofertilizer for sustainable agriculture. ?
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
50%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10201992000100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
2000 - Chemistry;
Goals / Objectives
Major objectives of this proposal are to:Synthesize amorphous and crystalline calcium phosphate (ACCP) nanocomposite as a micronutrient-doped novel nanofertilizer from waste recycled P.Develop a mechanistic, structure-function relationship of P release kinetics with structural (lattice, cation and anion compositions, and ratios) and surface and interfacial (morphology, size, and surface energy) characteristics of ACCPs and tune for optimal P release.Conduct greenhouse plant growth experiments with model monocot and dicot plant species and apply the isotope tracking method to discriminate P uptake from ACCPs vs. other soil P pools and compare nutrient and resource use efficiencies (NUE and RUE) with conventional and slow-release fertilizers.Analyze microbiome and rhizosphere nutrient chemistry to quantify the positive and synergistic impacts of ACCPs against conventional and slow-release fertilizers.
Project Methods
A series of synthesis methods, characterization and field testing will be applied.The collaborative team of PDs will undertakesynthesis, tuning, and structural substitutions, isotope tracking, and precision delivery for plant nutrition, as well as soil microbial responseon developing ACCP compositeas a highly potent and tunablenanofertilizer.

Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, our efforts reached a diverse range of audiences across academic, professional, and industry sectors from the US to India, Italy, Nepal, China, Japan, and Sri Lanka. At the University of Delaware, undergraduate students and postdoc associates presented in the workshop Calcium Phosphate and Composite Materials. Students and postdocs in this project presented at the CAES postdoc seminar series, Yale Plant Symposium, Gordon Research Conference, Soil Science Society of America, American Chemical Society. PIs of the project presented in Academy of Science and Technology (Nepal), two institutions in India (Amity Institute, Ahmed Haji U.), two in China (Guangdong U, Central South U), eight institutions in United States (Stony Brook U, U New Hampshire, U New Haven, UC Riverside, UT El Paso, U Central Florida, Florida International U, U Massachusetts), one national Lab (Brookhaven National Lab), one institution in Italy (ISSMC), one conference venue in Sri Lanka, and one conference venue in India (see details on publication list). These presentations are centered on nanofertilizer and agriculture and bring specific aspects of nutrient fate in soil, efficacy of both plant nutrition and resource use efficiency of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANP), including micronutrient doped ACP and HANPs. Another suite of nanomaterials includes ACP and HANP doped urea (details of the experimental data are explained in the accomplishment section). In Italy, 'Open Day' was organized in ISSMC, which attracted a series of stakeholders from farm bureau representatives, industry, and institutional students and research faculty. IN summary, our project targets the worldwide scientific community and agricultural stakeholders on nutrient formulation and management in the United States, Italy, and outcomes are presented to other countries (India, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Japan). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Following graduate students and postdoctoral associates were mentored and provided the following major opportunities: Salem Ghribi (PhD student under Co-PI Iafisco, 2023-date). Salem project falls within the activities of the project from the beginning. Since the start of his Ph.D. in Nov 2022, he has been fully trained on the knowledge and skillset for the synthesis and characterization of ACP and HANP particles for environmental applications. During this period (year 2), Salem completed an academic exchange at CAES in CT USA as a visiting student. He participated in and received training across a broad range of research activities. These included materials characterizations using scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES); the setup, maintenance, and harvesting of greenhouse-based plant experiments assessing the impact of novel nanoscale P fertilizer on plant growth; measurement of phenotypic endpoints and plant tissue digestion protocols; and molecular analysis of the rhizosphere soil microbiome. Salem is now back to ISMMC Italy and undertaking data analysis, synthesis, and finalizing a manuscript (Ghribi et al., 2025 prep). Devraj Maidali (Graduate student under PI Jaisi, Sept 2024- date). Devraj was provided a series of trainings on analytical chemistry and advanced instruments, including HPLC and Orbitrap IRMS. He is well versed in the soil and plant general chemistry analysis and specifically isotope analysis of using most advanced instrument, Orbitrap IRMS. He has contributed to the elemental and P concentrations of soils and plant materials of the project. Lucas Prince (Graduate student under PI Jaisi, Sept 2024- date). Lucas is an MS student and focused largely on coursework in the first year. A series of trainings provided to him include colorimetric and mass spectrometric analysis of P and other elements. He perfected Zr-resin based method for selectively scavenging P from soil porewater and ambient water and is revising the method for extracted P pools from soils. Pavlo Ivanchenko (Postdoctoral Associate under PI Jaisi, 2024- date). Pavlo joined in March 2024. He was trained in a series of advanced instruments, including FTIR, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, P-XRD, and XAS. Further, he was given a refresher training on the synthesis of nano-HANP and characterization of dissolution. These trainings were critical for him to fully undertake the dissolution and characterization of different generations of ACPc and HANPs to be synthesized and studied in this project. Jing Yuan (Postdoctoral Associate under Co-PI Steven and White, 2024-date). Jing joined the team in June 2024 and is leading research on the application of nanopore-accessible chemical probes (ACPs) in agricultural systems, particularly in corn rhizosphere soils. She developed an innovative barcoding workflow using Nanopore sequencing to investigate the effects of ACPs on soil microbial communities. Jing presented her findings at several international conferences and successfully secured a Board of Control grant from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) as a co-Principal Investigator. This funding supports her work on methodological advancements in nanopore sequencing for microbial ecology. Looking ahead, she plans to expand her research in 2025 to include time-resolved metagenomic and transcriptomic analyses, aiming to characterize microbiome responses to nanoparticle phosphorus amendments in corn soils using her newly developed sequencing pipeline. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Some major interactions (see others in the target audience section) include: In-person NIFA project meeting was held at the University of Delaware (Sept 18-20, 2024) in which all project PDs, postdocs, and students were present. A one-day workshop on "Calcium Phosphate and Composite Materials" was organized on Sept 19, 2024. The opening of the workshop was done by Eric Wommack, associate vice president for research at UD. The workshop included 7 invited presentations and was attended by 15 in-person participants. Presentations in Gordon Research Conferences and a series of keynote and invited presentations were made by all four PDs at different venues in the US, Europe, and Asia. Presentation of the project activities to the general public during the "Open Day" of the Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC) of the National Research Council (CNR) in Faenza. Alessio Adamiano gave a talk entitled "Agricoltura high-tech per alimenti più sostenibili" (High-tech agriculture for more sustainable food production). Interacted with local stakeholders in Delaware on excess nutrient loss from agricultural soils in Delaware Ag Day, including the non-profit organization (Center for the Inland Bays, CIB) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are on track with the stated objectives and timelines. We will publish current results in peer-reviewed publications and continue to reach stakeholders. In terms of tasks, we will continue third-year project-planned tasks (per the proposal).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Summary accomplishments: The second year of the project yielded: i) 2 peer-reviewed publications with 3 additional manuscripts submitted (or are in review stage); ii) 2 keynote talks, 16 invited talks, and 11 volunteered presentations in professional society meetings, departmental seminar series, and conferences. What was accomplished under these goals? The collaborative project among three institutions (UD, CAES, ISSMC) and four PIs (Jaisi, White, Iafisco, and Steven) has been continued. The syntheses of ACPc doped with micronutrients (i.e., Cu, Fe, Zn, SO?), developed during the first year of the project, were modified to scale up production and obtain sufficient quantities of material for greenhouse experiments. The materials were fully characterized to evaluate whether the process modifications affected their chemical-physical properties. Preliminary greenhouse experiments on corn (Zea mays) were conducted by CAES using these materials, and the data are currently under analysis. HANP and ACP particles loaded with urea, prepared during the first year of the project, were fully characterized. During the second year, further characterization was carried out to deepen the understanding of their properties and performance. Their potential as controlled-release nano-fertilizers was assessed by evaluating urea and phosphorus release kinetics in a simulated soil column. In a leaching test performed in a vermiculite column, ACP-Urea significantly slowed urea release compared to free urea and retained over 95% of P in 48 hours. In contrast, HANP-Urea exhibited a urea release profile like that of free urea. The materials were also tested by CAES in greenhouse experiments on corn (Zea mays). Results showed that ACP-Urea (P at 200 mg/kg) increased dry biomass by approximately 97% and the SPAD index by 33% compared to monocalcium phosphate (MCP), used as the control. Final biomass values were 4.02 g for ACP-Urea and 2.04 g for MCP, while SPAD index values were 32.4 and 24.3, respectively. Further analysis of the soil microbiome, soil parameters, and plant growth responses indicated that the observed differences were primarily due to the physicochemical properties of the materials, rather than significant changes in rhizosphere bacterial communities. Comparative analysis of crystalline hydroxyapatite nanoparticle (HANP) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACPc) in a greenhouse experiment for nutritional and resource use efficiency provided an insightful outcome: a higher crop yield in HANP and ACPc treatments compared to the commercial fertilizer (monocalcium phosphate, MCP), by 20 and 33%, respectively. The major difference was in resource use efficiency (RUE), a ratio of crop yield to P lost after irrigation, which was about six times higher in HANP than commercial MCP (Sakhno et al., 2025). Synthesis of ACP particles with 18O isotopically labeled phosphate was developed by ISSMC for accurate tracking of its behavior in soil. Current results demonstrated that production is feasible. Detailed chemical-physical characterizations are currently in progress using advanced techniques method including Raman, FTIR, and XRD.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Yuan, Y., White, J., Steven, B. Exploring the corn rhizosphere microbiome with nanopore sequencing. 2nd CAES Postdoc Research Symposium. New Haven, USA (Oct 11, 2024). (Oral presentation and presentation award winner)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Yuan, Y., Ghirbi, S., Steven, B. Corn rhizosphere soil microbiome affected by phosphorus nanoparticles. NIFA Project Meeting 2024. University of Delaware. Newark, USA (Sept 19, 2024). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White et al. Nanobiotechnology-based strategies for enhanced phosphorus and nitrogen delivery to crop species. NanoFlorida International Conference 2025 at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. (March 14-16, 2025). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White et al. Nanobiotechnology-based strategies for enhanced crop resilience. Joint Conference of ISEH ICEPH & ISEG on Environment and Health, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland (August 14-18, 2024). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White et al. Nanobiotechnology-based strategies for climate-resilient crops. American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2024 Meeting, Denver, Colorado (August 18-21, 2024). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White et al. Nanobiotechnology-based strategies for enhanced plant stress resilience. 18th International Phytotechnologies Conference, University of Calicut, Kerala, India. (October 20-25, 2024). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Sakhno, T., Marenych, M., Semenov, A., Sakhno, Y., and Jaisi, D.P. (2025). Roles of seed priming in increasing the adaptability and productive potential of agricultural crops. Advances in Agronomy, 190, 131-197.
  • Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Sakhno, Y., Vaidya, S., Nikolenko, M., White, J.C., Iafisco, M., and Jaisi, D.P. Comparative analysis of crystalline hydroxyapatite and amorphous calcium phosphate for dissolution and plant nutrition. Journal of Nanoparticle Research. DOI: 10.1007/s11051-025-06338-7.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: 1. Jaisi, D.P. Keynote lecture on Environmental biogeochemistry of nutrient pollution and potential technological solutions with biochar as a model. Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Kathmandu (May 10, 2024) [Keynote presentation]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jaisi, D.P. Invited lecture on Environmental biogeochemistry of nutrient pollution and potential technological solutions. Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Kathmandu (May 10, 2024). [Keynote presentation]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jaisi, D.P. Special Keynote talk on Tracking catchment sediment sources in rivers and reservoirs: Case studies in the USA and Nepal Himalayas. Nepal Geological Society. Kathmandu, Nepal (May 3, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jaisi, D.P. Invited lecture on Methods of source tracking using isotopes in different environments from soil to water bodies. Workshop on Microbiomes of Indoor Environment. University of Delaware- Hiroshima University (Sept 7, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Adamiano, A.; Degli Esposti, L.; Iafisco, M. Invited lecture entitled Agricoltura high-tech per alimenti pi� sostenibili (High-tech agriculture for more sustainable food production). Open Day at the Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC) (Nov, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou China (July 25, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Symposium, University of Central Florida, Orlando Florida (November 3-4, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. University of Texas El Paso Department of Chemistry Seminar series (February 27, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture (remote) entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Amity Institute of Food Technology International Conference on The Future of Food Science & Technology: Innovations, Sustainability, and Health, Uttar Pradesh, India (March 28, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Department of Plant Biology Seminar series, University of California Riverside. (April 3-5, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Central South University of Forestry and Technology in Changsha China (July 26, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited Lecture (remote) entitled Nano-enabled Agriculture: A path to Global food security in a changing climate. AgroFood 2024 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Food Security, and Safety in Colombo, Sri Lanka. August 22, 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Pocker Sahib Memorial Orphanage College and Korambayil Ahamed Haji Memorial Unity Womens College, Kerala, India (October 20-25, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. University of New Haven. (April 14, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. University of Massachusetts. (April 23, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Advanced analytical techniques for understanding the mechanistic basis and ultimate potential of nano-enabled agriculture. NSLS-II & CFN Users Meeting at Brookhaven National Laboratory (April 28, 2025)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: White, J. Invited lecture entitled Nano-enabled agriculture: A path to global food security in a changing climate. Stony Brook University. (April 29, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Yuan, J. Invited session discussion leader, Applied and Environmental Microbiology Gordon Research Conference on Impactful Nano-Applications for Sustainable Food Production. New Hampshire (July 1213, 2025).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sakhno, Y. and Jaisi, D.P. (2024). Calcium phosphate nanocomposites: Progress and promise for nutrient use efficiency and crop yield, and reducing loss. Gordon Research Conference on Impactful Nano-Applications for Sustainable Food Production. New Hampshire (Jun 23-28, 2024). (Poster presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jaisi, D.P. (2024). Advanced analytical methods for biochar characterization: Current usage and future promises. Annual Meeting of the Soil Science Society of America. San Antonio, TX (Nov 10-13, 2024). (Oral presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Sorrentino, L., Ivanchenko, P., and Jaisi, D. Synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as slow-release fertilizer. Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. University of Delaware, Newark, DE (Aug 8, 2024).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Yuan, J., Steven, B. Adaptive sequencing for root microbiome. Applied and Environmental Microbiology Gordon Research Seminar (July 1218, 2025). (Poster presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Yuan, J., Ghribi, S., Zuverza-Mena, N. et al. Nanopore sequencing for corn rhizosphere soil microbiome affected by phosphorus nanoparticles. Sussex Symposium for Plant Science. Yale University. New Haven, USA (Oct 18, 2024) (Poster presentation)


Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Academics; federal, state, and local governments; fertilizer producing companies; nutrient recycling companies; stakeholders on nutrient management; farmers and commodity groups Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Following undergraduate and graduate students, PhD students and postdoctoral associates were mentored and provided following major opportunities as follows: Yuriy Sakhno (Postdoctoral Associate, 2023-2023). Yuriy works in the first three months of the project. Since the team's collaboration initiated prior to the start of this project, he was fully trained and made a significant breakthrough in the comparative analyses of ACPc and HAs. He utilizes FTIR, nano-FTIR coupled with AFM, FE-SEM, XRD, and DS-TGA techniques to characterize and differentiate ACPc and Has. He successfully landed his next career as a senior scientist at AsymChem, Boston, MA. Pavlo Ivanchenko (Postdoctoral Associate, 2024- date). Pavlo joined in March 2024. He is now given a full opportunity and training in a series of advanced instruments including FTIR, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, P-XRD, and XAS. Further, he is given a refresher training on synthsis of nano-HAP. These training will be critical for him to fully undertake the dissolution and characterization of different generations of ACPc and Has to be synthesized in this project. Salem Ghribi (PhD student, 2023-date). Unfunded collaboration in the project. Salem project falls within the activities of the project from the beginning. Since the start of his Ph.D. in Nov 2022, he is fully trained on the knowledge and skillset for the synthesis and characterizations of ACP and HA particles for environmental applications. However, in the last year, he refined his knowledge, especially on the synthesis of ACP particles doped with micronutrients and on the systemic studies on the release of urea and phosphorus in batch and soil column experiments. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In the first year of the project, knowledge dissemination was done through two ways: Organized a one-day workshop on 'Novel Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition' at Harker ISE Laboratory at the University of Delaware (jointly organized by Jaisi from UD and Martin Jemo and Issam Barra from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morrocco. The opening of the workshop was done by Eric Wommack, associate vice president for research at UD and Bruno Gerard, the dean at UM6P. The workshop included 14 invited presentations and one keynote presentation. The hybrid workshop was attended by 43 in-person and 33 remote participants. The participants include fertilizer developers, commodity groups, farmer groups, environmental stewardship groups, and students and faculty from UD, UM6P, and other institutions in the US, Brazil, and Morocco. Interacted with local stakeholders in Delaware on excess nutrient loss from agricultural soils in Delaware Ag Day, including the non-profit organization (Center for the Inland Bays, CIB) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are on track with the stated objectives and timelines. We will continue working on the second-year project tasks.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Summary accomplishments: In the first year of the project, it yielded the following: i) 1 peer-reviewed publication with 3 additional manuscripts are ready for submission; ii) 1 keynote talk, 2 invited talks, and 1 volunteered presentation in workshops and professional society meetings and conferences. Lists of accomplishments are: The collaborative project among three institutions (UD, CAES, ISSMC) and four PIs (Jaisi, White, Iafisco, and Steven) is off to an excellent start. Published first paper on the role of citrate-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles doped with micronutrients for efficient plant nutrition and limited leaching from soils (Sakhno et al., 2023). Comparative analysis of crystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACPc) for nutritional and resource use efficiency testing using lettuce as a model crop found that a higher crop yield for HA and lower loss of P after irrigation. These greenhouse experiments will be repeated for reproducibility. A manuscript is being prepared for ACS Agricultural Science and Technology (AST). Synthesis and characterization of ACPc doped with micronutrients (i.e., Cu, Fe, Zn, SO4): The syntheses were first tailored in order to have a fixed amount of micronutrient content in the particles (i.e., 5.0 wt% for cations and 0.5 wt% for anions). Then the preparation protocols were modified to scaled-up the production to produce enough quantities of materials for the greenhouse experiments. Samples will be then tested by CAES. Synthesis and characterizations of HA and ACP particles loaded with urea: Samples with different quantities of urea interacted with HA and ACP were produced, and the materials were characterized for their behaviors to release urea and phosphorus in water suspensions and in soil columns. A manuscript is in preparation with these data. Advanced characterization using Raman, IR, and XRD revealed ACPc → HA phase transition in the acetic acid buffer. A manuscript being prepared based on this finding.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sakhno, Y.; Degli Esposti, L.; Adamiano, A.; Borgatta, J.; White, J. C.; Iafisco, M.; Jaisi, D. P. Citrate-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles doped with micronutrients as a highly efficient nanofertilizer for environmental sustainability. ACS Agricultural Science and Technology 2023, 3 (10), 845-854.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: White, J. Nanotechnology enabled agriculture: A path for global food security. Workshop on novel fertilizers and plant nutrition. University of Delaware, Newark, July 5, 2023 [keynote].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Iafisco, M. From nanomedicine to nanofertilizers: New perspectives in the use of calcium phosphate nanoparticles for agriculture. Workshop on novel fertilizers and plant nutrition. University of Delaware, Newark, July 5, 2023 [invited].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jaisi, D. Efficiency of micronutrient doped phosphorus fertilizer to plant nutrition. Workshop on novel fertilizers and plant nutrition. University of Delaware, Newark, July 5, 2023 [invited].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: 1. Sakhno, Y., and Jaisi, D.P. Comparative analysis of crystalline hydroxyapatite and amorphous calcium phosphate for nutritional and resource use efficiency for crops. Gordon Research Conference. New Hampshire, NH (Jun 24-29, 2024).