Applying nano-carbon as coating material for slow-released fertilizer to increase Indonesian rice yield and to reduce nitrogen loss in surface water of paddy soil

Excessive amount of fertilizer applied to the Indonesian agricultural land caused environmental pollution i.e. soil toxicity, and eutrophication. The use of slow-released fertilizer has become a new trend to save fertilizer consumption, and to minimize environmental pollution. Due to its high surface energy and chemical activity, the application domain of nano-materials has been considered to be potentially conducted in agriculture. This study aims to identify the influence of slow-released fertilizer coated by nano-carbon material on rice yield and nitrogen loss in surface water of paddy soil. All of materials needed for this study are gathered from various references such as journals, published reports, and newspaper. By the literature survey and interview methods, the rice grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency were increased significantly after applying slow-released fertilizer added nano-carbon. These results suggest that it is possible to use nano-carbon as coating material for slow-released fertilizer.