Lok Sabha Question No. 1427 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-09
Subject: Negative Impact of Nano Urea on Grain Yield and Quality
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Hanuman Beniwal, Adv. Chandra Shekhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1427

TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## NEGATIVE IMPACT OF NANO UREA ON GRAIN YIELD AND QUALITY

1427.   ADV. CHANDRA SHEKHAR: SHRI HANUMAN BENIWAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the government is aware that research conducted by the Punjab Agricultural University or any other institution has found that the use of nano urea has had a negative impact on grain yield and quality;
- (b) if so, details of the research thereof;
- (c) whether it is true that such research has found that the use of nano urea has reduced the protein content of rice and wheat by 35% and 24%, respectively;
- (d) if so, the source and details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to take any corrective steps in this direction; and
- (f) if  so,  the  steps  taken  and  the  time  by  when  it  will  be  implemented  and  if  not,  the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण राज्य मंत्री (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY)

- (a) & (b): Yes.  The  Government  is  aware  of  the  research  conducted  by  Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and other institutions on the use of nano urea. A two-year field

experiment by the Department of Soil Science, PAU, evaluated two foliar sprays of IFFCO nano urea (4 mL L ⁻ ¹) applied along with either 0% or 50% of the Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) in a rice -wheat rotation, and reported that treatments with two nano-urea sprays combined with 50% RDN resulted in a reduction of 13.0% in rice grain yield and 17.2% in wheat grain yield compared to the conventional 100% soil-applied RDN.

Agronomic trials conducted at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur on rice and Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora on finger millet reported reduction in grain yield by 8.0 % and 12%, respectively on replacing 50 % of Recommended  Dose  of  Nitrogen  (RDN)  with  02  foliar  sprays  of  nano  urea.  Further agronomic trials conducted at Hyderabad, Karnal, Bangalore, Jobner and Kalyani reported that replacement of 25% RDN with 2 foliar sprays of Nano urea increased yield of cereals and oilseeds by 5-15%.

However, experiments conducted by 5 ICAR Institutes, 10 SAUs and 27 KVKs on paddy, wheat, mustard, maize, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, capsicum and onion observed crop specific and location specific response of nano urea application.

(c) & (d): Yes. Research has reported that the application of two foliar sprays of IFFCO nano urea (4 mL L ⁻ ¹) along with only 50% of the recommended nitrogen dose (RDN) in a rice -wheat rotation reduced grain protein content by 35% in rice and 24% in wheat, and also lowered  key  nitrogen-assimilation  enzyme  activities  such  as  glutamine  synthetase  (by 28.6%) and glutamate synthase (by 94.4%) when compared with the conventional 100% RDN treatment. These findings were published by the researchers in Plant and Soil (Sikka R., Kalia A., Ahuja R., Sidhu S.K., & Chaitra P., 2025).

(e) & (f): To understand the long-term effects of nano urea on soil nutrients, crop yield, and quality, ICAR has launched a five-year network project called 'Evaluation of Nano Urea on Crop Productivity and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Diverse Agro-Ecological Zones of India'. This project covers 14 centres, 10 major agro-ecological zones, and 12 major crops. The study also aims to clarify  how  nutrients  from  nano  fertilizers  function  in  plant  metabolism.  In  addition,  the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued detailed guidelines and checklists for conducting nano urea trials to ensure proper evaluation and reporting.

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