The Bio-nano P and Bio-nano K products have been researched and developed indigenously

at the IFFCO Nano Biotechnology Research Centre (NBRC), an advanced research and
development centre based at Kalol Unit. These nanostructured formulations effectively
deliver nutrients to the plants. Other benefits of these Nano-products include reduction in the
requirement of conventional chemical fertilizer by 50%; up to 15-3-% increase in crop
production; improvement in soil health; reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases.

The plant growth and development is a complex process and mainly two factors influence the
reaction and metabolism of plants and thus regulate the developmental pattern of plant. One
of them is a system of endogenous chemical messengers, called hormones or growth
regulating substances. The second one comprises more or less interdependent set of external
environmental factors such as light, water, temperature, etc., which play indispensable role in
the development as do hereditary factors which have been transmitted from its
biological parents.

Crop production is the practical means of trapping solar energy and converting it into food
materials. The strategies for crop production are designed to maximize light interception by
achieving complete ground cover through manipulating plant density and spatial arrangement
and promoting rapid leaf expansion. Leaf area index (LAI) expresses the ratio of leaf surface
(one side only) to the ground area occupied by the crop. It also described the functional size
of assimilatory apparatus of other growth parameters (Watson 1947, 1952). The assimilatory
surface area of a crop stand and its increase has a direct bearing on the amount of solar
energy intercepted by canopy and represented the productive capacity of a crop.

Application of Bio-nano P and K along with ½ of full dose of fertilizers significantly affected
various structural components of productivity as well as grain yield in black gram. Plant
growth is measured by height of the plant was significantly improved.

The significantly maximum grain yield recorded in T 10 where 50% of FDF along with Bio-
nano P at 25 and 50 DAS was applied. Bio-nano P and K directly help to increase the
biological yield the findings are in agreement with Choudhary et al. (2018), Morovat et al.
(2019), Priya et al. (2015).

Test weight of seed (1000-seed weight) and number of seeds / pod are the improved
components which influenced biological as well as grain yield of black gram.

The Bio-nano P and K is found effective in increasing the growth parameters, yield
components and yield of black gram crop. The recent challenge to food production is the
increasing occurrence of biotic and abiotic stresses due to climate change, thus application of
Bio-nano P and K may play a vital role in sustainable crop production scenario of present
day agriculture.