ArticlePloS one2026
Improving tomato yield and production economics with Nano-NPK fertilization and salicylic acid chemigation.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Nanotechnology-enabled NPK fertilization combined with biostimulants offers a sustainable approach to enhance crop productivity, resource-use efficiency, and environmental performance in specialty crops. A two-year (2022-2023) factorial experiment (3 × 2), arranged in a completely randomized design, evaluated the interactive effects of nano humic acid-silicic acid-based Triple 20 NPK fertilizers (nano-NPK) applied at 40, 80, and 120 kg ha ⁻ ¹, with and without 0.3% salicylic acid (SA) as biostimulant, on processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. BHN 685) grown in a low-fertility soil under drip-irrigated, raised bed plasticulture. Conventional Triple 20 NPK fertilization at 120 kg ha ⁻ ¹ served as the control. Multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that nano-NPK fertilization and SA, alone or in combination, significantly improved tomato yield components, water use efficiency (WUE), and fertilizer use efficiency (FUE), while reducing cull fruit and increasing marketable yield. Among treatments, 80 kg ha ⁻ ¹ nano-NPK combined with 0.3% SA produced both total and marketable yields equivalent to or exceeding those obtained with 120 kg ha ⁻ ¹ nano-NPK or conventional fertilization, alongside higher nutrient, and water utilization. These improvements were associated with enhanced nutrient bioavailability, uptake, and photosynthetic performance due to nano-enabled NPK fertilization, with SA further promoting plant growth and fruit quality. This combination reduced fertilizer input by up to 33% without compromising yield, achieving WUE and FUE comparable to or better than conventional NPK fertilization (120 kg ha-1). Economically, 80 kg ha ⁻ ¹ nano-NPK + 0.3% SA achieved the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.26) and net return (US $1,988 ha ⁻ ¹), outperforming conventional NPK fertilization. Environmental assessment indicated improved energy use efficiency (4-6%) and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity per unit of marketable yield. Although total GHG emissions were statistically similar at higher application rates, nano-NPK, SA, or their combination reduced GHG intensity, highlighting their sustainability advantage. Overall, integrating 80 kg ha ⁻ ¹ nano-NPK with 0.3% SA optimizes yield, profitability, and environmental stewardship, offering an efficient pathway for sustainable intensification of tomato production.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.