LAUSR

Abstract Today, to achieve sustainable agriculture with maximum yield and minimum environmental risks, the use of nanofertilizers has riveted ample consideration. Field experiments were conducted during binary season of 2016 and 2017 at Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University, Egypt to estimate whether NPK nanofertilizers applied in equivalent or lower rates could replace recommended levels of NPK chemical fertilizers in potato farming systems without retrograde effects upon yield production or quality. Impacts of recommended rates of NPK chemical fertilizers (control treatments) compared to NPK nanofertilizers in equivalent or lower rates (100%, 50% and 25%), foliar or soil applied on potato productivity and quality were studied. Compared with control treatments, plots receiving foliar application of NPK nanofertilizers at 50% or 25% of recommended level showed higher values of economic yield (23.59-ton ha−1), starch rates (79.62%), NPK nutrient use efficiency (67.74, 278.92, 118.54 kg potato/kg nutrient), harvest index (59.24%) and only lower potato nitrate content (1.15 g kg−1) as a harmful indicator. Among all treatments, foliar application of NPK nanofertilizers at 50% rate was found to be the most economical treatment as it gave highest potato yield and quality plus highest profit: cost ratio of potato production. This research recommends foliar application of nanofertilizers in potato production to increase production and quality compared to soil applications. As yet, using lower rates of nanofertilizers as foliar application in the present study proved to be an eco-friendly environmental and economic alternative to recommended rates of chemical fertilizers with significant increase in potato productivity and quality.