WHAT IS NANO TECHNOLOGY

NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL REFORMS AND THE USE OF NANO ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN CROPS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

(Presented by Dr. Nwachukwu Ernest)

Let us share together some information about Nano fertilizer which is a product of Nanotechnology. 

One of the best things that has happened in the world together is the use of Nanotechnology to solve problem. This shows that solution of our challenges are in our hands. The use of Nanotechnology in food production is a very welcome technology. This is not necessarily permitting genetically modified organism but expression of matters in more absorbable forms by biological matter. In Nigeria, the drive of all agricultural reforms is towards sustainability of the agricultural sector to delivers on its mandates of food and agro products as raw materials for use of mankind. This by projection should positively affect the economy and human existence in the face of the dynamism.To discuss this, we shall break is down to some sub-topics in the following ways:

1. What is Nano Technology? Nano technology is the term given to those areas of science and engineering where phenomena that take place at dimensions in the nanometre scale are utilized in the design, characterization, production and application of materials, structures, devices and systems. In nutshell, it is the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale.

2. What is Nanoscale? This is the range of measurement on which matters exist. Nanoscale ranges in more dimensions of the order of 100 nm or less. One nanometer (nm) is one billionth, or 10−9, of a meter. By comparison, typical carbon-carbon bond lengths, or the spacing between these atoms in a molecule, are in the range 0.12–0.15 nm, and a DNA double-helix has a diameter around 2 nm. On the other hand, the smallest cellular life-forms, the bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma, are around 200 nm in length. By convention, nanotechnology is taken as the scale range 1 to 100 nm following the definition used by the National Nanotechnology Initiative in the US.

3. How does it Work in Agro Practices? It is simples! Most products used in agric practice are in a scale above 100 nanometer (nm). And materials that are in this range are subject to waste due to unavailability to be easily absorbed by the targeted cell owe leaching and evaporation. By this most of our product are at the absorption level of less than 60 % even the common nitrogen and carbon elements. This leads to inefficiency as expected. When materials are produces and expressed in nanoscale, absorption is near 100% of its constitution, no form of toxicity, leaching and evaporation.

4. What is the best form of Nanomaterials: The use of nanotechnology in fertilizer production make ready some of these nutrients whose present dictate the absorption and utilization of all other macro nutrients. This is while they often come on chelated form that binds other nutrients to enable better expression in the metabolic activities of the organism. This is the beauty of Nano products.

5. Some Benefits: They are safer, cost effective, reliable, clean, non-toxic and eco-friendly being compatible with bio-organism.

6. Bio-Fertilizers: These are substance that are used in agro production but the different between them is that these bio-product has issue of rates of absorption because they are express in scale higher than 100mn which mean level of absorption by the biological being is less than 60%. In addition, they are subject to leaching and evaporation in the face of climate change. Thus they are not as effective as nano products.

7. The Use of Nano-products livestock production: It is all about form of absorption such that any nano-product compactible and formulated to be use by animal has greater degree of performance. Failure of administration is eliminated such that it is seen as formulated and enhance performance.