Nano-Fertilizers for Improving Yield in Maize Plants under Calcareous Soil Conditions to Achieve Sustainability

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Sary, Mahmoud E. Abd El-Aziz This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Agriculture in calcareous soil suffers from many problems such as high calcium carbonate content, low organic matter, and poor availability of elements. In the summer of two seasons 2022 and 2023, the maize crop ( Zea mays , L) was planted in the El-Nubaria Agricultural Research Station farm, Egypt, to study the effect of nano-micronutrient fertilizers. The field experiment was done through a randomized completely block design with treatments: Control, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Mn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l and ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to analyze the synthesized nano-micronutrient fertilizers. The data showed that 40 mg/l of nano-micronutrient fertilizer was the most effective treatment for most studied traits. Nano-fertilizer (NFs) also demonstrated better preference than traditional fertilizer for each of the growth characteristics, corn productivity, the content of elements in the plant, and their availability in the soil. The application of NFs containing molybdenum to corn grains resulted in a higher positive protein and nitrogen content. The content of zinc, manganese, and molybdenum in corn leaves and grains and their availability in calcareous soil was more stimulated with the treatments of nano-micronutrient and traditional fertilizers containing the same element with all concentrations of doses. Biological sciences/Plant sciences Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology Maize Nano micronutrient Calcareous Soil Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 1. Introductions In Egypt, the area planted with maize is about 0.66 million hectares to produce about 5.85 million tons of grains which are used in human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes 1 . The plant growth and quality as well as soil quality can be improved by controlling the availability of nutrients in the rhizosphere. This is especially crucial because the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, which can be expensive for farmers and environmentally harmful, has made managing micronutrients a global concern 2 . Crop development and yield can be increased by improving nutrient delivery through nanotechnology (NT). Recently, NT has been used for the production of high-efficiency sustainable fertilizers, to enhance crop productivity and reduce the high cost of traditional fertilizers 3 , 4 . NT enhances agriculture by providing premium quality, environmental safety, biological support, and financial stability, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fertilizers by improving physical, chemical, and biological properties 5 , 6 . Nano-fertilizers (NFs), sized between 1 and 100 nm, offer a superior alternative to traditional fertilizers due to their higher nutrient use efficiency and increased plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses 7 . It is also known as a "smart system of nutrients". These materials optimize plant nutrition and offer an economical alternative to chemical fertilizers, thereby increasing global food production sustainably and providing a novel method for optimizing nutrient supply 8 , 9 . NFs are characteristic that they are more mobile, have a larger surface area to volume ratio, long-lasting duration and simple penetration which improves plant nutrient absorption and availability thus increasing crop yield and quality 10 . Moreover, it increases the microbial count, nutritional value, and bioavailability and improves soil health 11 . Understanding nanoparticle interactions with crops can enhance our understanding of uptake, mobilization, and accumulation in agri-nanotechnology 12 . Essential nanometals enter plant tissues through various pathways, including soil microbes and root exudates in roots and open stomata or thin permeable regions in leaves. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be transported through endocytosis, carrier interaction, or plasmodesmata between cells, despite their limited cellular movement due to cell wall pore size and Casparian strip 13 . Foliar absorption, through which nutrients are readily absorbed through nanopores in leaf plasmodesmata, is the most efficient technique 14 . Some metal oxide NPs such as zinc or magnesium oxide may promote plant growth and improve the efficiency of micronutrient application in soils. Plant enzyme catalytic activity depends on zinc, however reduced efficiency brought on by soil clay complex adsorption is a problem. Zn-NFs promote intelligent plant transport and reduce soil fixation 15 . Research suggests that applying Zn directly to plant foliage can overcome issues like rapid immobilization in calcareous soils. The use of ZnO-NPs could address issues with traditional soluble forms, such as leaf burning, which can occur with soluble Zn 16 . Nanomaterials can improve plant productivity by creating more soluble and diffusible sources of Zn fertilizer due to their small size, higher surface area, and reactivity 17 . Maize grown under 600 mg/L Zn nano spray showed high-ranking standards in terms of growth, income, and quality of maize grains 10 . In comparison with the control, the synthesized zinc hydroxy nitrate considerably enhanced the yield and quality of corn grains by maintaining useful concentration over the vegetative stage, suggesting that it may be used as a long-term foliar fertilizer 18 . The use of NFs in agriculture has seen a surge in recent years, with Mn-NPs being found to be safer and potentially increase crop productivity 19 . Mn is essential for photosynthesis, respiration, and N metabolism in plants, and its nanomaterials may modulate photochemistry in soil-plant systems 20 . Mn-NPs are better micronutrient sources for Mn than commercially available MnSO 4 salt 21 . One benefit of employing Mn-NPs is that they could be able to go through plant cell pores more efficiently. Additionally, plants undergo alterations due to the nanomaterials improving their growth and production 22 . Mn-NPs have modest impacts on plant nutrition, possibly improving Mn nutrition when applied directly to plant foliage 16 . Mo is a crucial micronutrient in plant metabolism, acting as a structural component of the nitrate reductase enzyme, which is vital for the assimilation of nitrogen 23 . The microbiological characteristics of the rhizosphere of all categories of agriculturally useful microbes were reported to have significantly improved due to Mo-NPs 24 . Mo-NPS enhances plant growth through complex physiological processes, including enhanced enzymatic reactions and nitrogen absorption. It promotes nutrient absorption and homeostasis by increasing root volume, surface area, total absorption area, and positive absorption area 25 . This study aims to use NFs as a new technology to achieve maximum maize plant productivity under calcareous soil conditions. 2. Materials and methods 2.1 Materials Manganese nitrate, ammonium molybdate, citric acid and zinc acetate were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Company. Sodium hydroxide, and ammonium hydroxide were purchased from S.d. Fine-Chem. 2.2 Preparation of nano-nutrient fertilizer ZnO-NPs were made by refluxing 3.942 g of zinc acetate in 1l of ethanol with 1.44 g of NaOH for two hours at 70°C. After obtaining and purifying ZnO-NPs using DI-water, they were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 5000 rpm to produce a fine white powder that was dried for 24 hours at 60°C 26 . Manganese nitrate (Mn (NO 3 ) 2 •4H 2 O, 10 g) was firstly dissolved in 5 ml of water at 80°C under stirring for 10 minutes, then the concentrated solution was heated in an oven at 100°C for 24 hours until it turned into a black, viscous liquid. This process produced MnO 2 -NPs. The black particles were then dried at 100°C after the deionized water was added to a viscous liquid and centrifuged three times for 15 minutes at 10,000 rpm 27 . MoO 3 -NPs were made using the sol-gel technique. After dissolving ammonium molybdate (11.6 g) and citric acid (3.8 g) in distilled water under stirring, ammonium hydroxide was used to adjust the pH to 7. After heating the resulting solution to 250°C for one hour to produce a powder, it was then increased to 500°C for 120 minutes to produce MoO3-NPs. 28 . 2.3 Characterization Transmission electron microscope (TEM; JEM-1230, Japan) set to 120 kV, 600 x 10 3 magnification, and 0.2 nm resolution, was used to evaluate the shape and size of produced NPs. The NPs' X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were obtained using a Philips X-ray diffractometer (PW 1820 goniometer, PW 1930 generator, and radiation source CuK) and a Diano X-ray diffractometer with radiation source CoKα running at 45 kV. 2.4 Field experiment A field experiment was done at the El-Nubaria Research Station, Behaira Governorate, Agric. Res. Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt, to evaluate the effects of nano micronutrient fertilizers on the growth, yield, and nutritional value of Maize (Zea mays , L) plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions during the summers of 2022 and 2023. The farm's geographical locations are 30° 90´ N, 29° 96´ E, and it is 25 m above sea level. The analysis of the soil samples followed Page, et al. 29 procedures. It had the following properties: pH 8.3, organic matter 0.8%, CaCO 3 28.4%, EC 1.4 dS/m, A.N 40 mg/kg, A.P 3 mg/kg, A.K 100 mg/kg, DTPA-Fe 4 mg/kg, DTPA-Mn 2.8 mg/kg, DTPA-Zn 1.04 mg/kg, and Mo 0.02 mg/kg. The soil texture was loamy sand (sand 79%, silt 13.8%, and clay 7.2%). 2.5 Experimental design The field experiment involved 30 randomized complete block design arrangements with three replications, each with 4 lines of plantation, 3.5 m long rows, 0.75 m row spacing, and 0.20 m plant-to-plant spacing in a 10.5 m plot size. The study treatments included; control, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Mn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l and ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l, which were applied using foliar sprays for three times a season at one-month intervals. 2.6 Maize cultivar The Agricultural Research Center's Corn Research Department in Giza, Egypt, produced the single hybrid 166 maize ( Zea mays , L). The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt recommended adding N fertilizer in the form of ammonium sulfate (20.5% N), P fertilizer in the form of superphosphate (15.5% P 2 O 5 ), and K fertilizer in the form of potassium sulfate (48% K 2 O). The general techniques suggested by the Ministry of Agriculture for corn crops were followed for all other farming operations, such as fertilizers, irrigation, weeds, disease control, etc. 2.7 Vegetable growth and yield components Plant height (cm), fresh weight of plant (kg), ear length (cm)/plant, ear diameter (cm), number of rows/ear, number of ears/plant, weight of 100 grains (g), weight of ears (g)/plant, weight of grains (g)/plant, and grain yield (ton/ha) as a mean value for two seasons were all determined by taking three plant samples from each plot. Grain yield (ton/ha) was calculated by removing and cleaning grains that were within 1 m 2 of the plot's center. On a dry weight basis, the grain yield and grain weight per plant (grams) were noted. 100 grains were counted and weighed from replicated samples of clean grains (broken grain and foreign material removed) that were selected at random. 2.8 Biochemical analysis: 2.8.1 Elements in leaves and grains Harvest plant samples were used for nutrient determination, where nitrogen and protein were estimated using Micro-Kjeldhl, phosphorus was determined colorimetrically, and potassium was measured using a Flame Photometer Estefan 30 . 2.8.2 Elements in soil 1% K 2 SO 4 , 0.5N NaHCO 3 , and 1N NH 4 OAc (pH 7.0) were used to extract the soil's available N, P, and K, respectively 31 , 32 . The Kjeldahl apparatus was used to distill the soil extracts and the UV-Vis. A spectrophotometer and flame photometer were used to measure their color. According to Lindsay and Norvell 33 , the levels of Fe, Zn, Mn, and Mo that were available were determined by extracting using DTPA solution. 2.9 Statistical analysis The least differences (LSD) in the means of the data of the two seasons were analyzed statistically 34 . 3. Results 3.1 Characteristics of nano-fertilizers Figures 1 a, b, and c show the morphological structures of ZnO-NPs, MnO 2 -NPs, and MoO 3 -NPs, respectively, and their corresponding XRD. The as-prepared NPs have particle sizes smaller than 100 nm which are demonstrated by the results. MnO 2 -NPs had a consistent diamond shape and an average particle size of 75 nm, while ZnO-NPs' TEM picture revealed an average particle size of 25 nm. while, the average particle size of MoO 3 -NPs displayed 10 nm. The crystal structures of the ZnO, MnO2, and MoO 3 -NPs were investigated using X-ray diffraction measurements (Fig. 1 ). The plans (100), (002), (101), (102), and (110) are associated with the principal ZnO-NPs peaks that were measured at 2θ = 32, 34.4, 36.4, 47.7°, and 56.7°, respectively 35 , 36 . In addition, The MnO 2 -NPS show three phases known as α-MnO 2 , γ-MnO 2 and β-MnO 2 which appeared peaks at 2θ (28.7 and 37.3°), (24.8 and 65°), and (42.82, 46.02, 56.65, and 59.3°), respectively 37 , 38 . The orthorhombic crystal structure of MoO 3 –NPs is shown by the peaks at 2θ = 13.9, 23.2, 26.1, 34.5, 39.3, and 49° in the MoO 3 –NP pattern 39 , 40 . The produced nanoparticles' XRD patterns show that the as-prepared NPs are pure. 3.2 Vegetable growth and yield components Table 1 shows that NFs applications were significant for all additions compared to the control treatment for Maize plant height under calcareous soil conditions. The fresh weight of the corn plant was highest when treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, which was (1.377 kg). Nano-Zn 40 mg/l gave the highest value of the 100-grain weight of corn (40.7 g). The grain weight per plant was significantly higher in the Nano-Mo 40 mg/l (239.4 g) treatment, followed by the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l (236.2 g) treatment. The productivity of corn grains per hectare gave the highest significance at the highest concentrations of NFs, which took the following order: Nano-Mn 40 mg/l > Nano-Mo 40 mg/l > Nano-Zn 40 mg/l. Accordingly, Fig. 2 shows that the Nano-Mn 40 mg/l treatment had the highest value (15.1 ton/ha) compared to the control (9.84 ton/ha) for corn yield of grains under calcareous soil. Table 1 Effects of NFs on the growth and yield of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons) Treatments Plant Height (cm) Fresh weight of the plant (kg) Weight of 100 grains (g) Weight of grains (g)/plant Grains yield (ton/ha) Nano -fertilizers Control 167b 0.627d 36de 167.4de 9.84e Nano-Zn 20 mg/l 221.7a 0.920bc 38.3abcd 191.8abcd 12de Nano-Zn 40 mg/l 228a 0.990b 40.7a 236.2a 14.64abc Zn-chelate 2 g/l 225.3a 0.930bc 39abc 183.1abc 11.76de Nano-Mn 20 mg/l 212a 0.776cd 35.3e 189.8e 11.76de Nano-Mn 40 mg/l 220.3a 0.964b 36.7cde 209cde 15.12a Mn-chelate 2 g/l 218.7a 0.888bc 39abc 234.8abc 12.48cd Nano-Mo 20 mg/l 208.3a 0.839bc 38.7abc 207.9abc 12.96cd Nano-Mo 40 mg/l 218a 1.377a 39.7ab 239.4ab 14.88ab Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l 217a 0.997b 37.3bcde 220.7bcde 13.2bcd LSD 5% 23.04 0.169 2.60 33.69 0.836 3.3 Characteristics cob of Maize plant. Table 2 shows no significant differences in Maize plant characteristics under calcareous soil conditions with NFs at high concentrations (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mn 40 mg/l) of ear length for each plant. The diameter of the ear for each plant was significant in the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment, which gave the highest value (6.5 cm) among all treatments and the control. The highest number of rows per ear of corn was obtained when adding Nano-Zn 40 mg/l (17.3). With values of 2.33 and 1.88, respectively, the addition of 40 mg/l Nano-Zn and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l treatment demonstrated the greatest increase in the number of ears per corn plant. The highest significance level for measuring the weight of the ear per corn plant was found in the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment, with a value of (494.7 g). Table 2 Effects of NFs on characteristics cob of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons) Treatments Length of ear /plant (cm) Diameter of ear (cm) No. rows /ear No. ears/plant Weight of ears /plant (g) Nano -fertilizers Control 19.8d 4.4c 11.9c 1.11c 262.3f Nano-Zn 20 mg/l 22cd 5.2b 14.1bc 1.22c 385.1bcd Nano-Zn 40 mg/l 25.8a 6.5a 17.3a 2.33a 494.7a Zn-chelate 2 g/l 23.3bc 5.7b 15b 1.22c 337.1de Nano-Mn 20 mg/l 22.5c 5.4b 14.8b 1.22c 317.0e Nano-Mn 40 mg/l 23.9abc 5.5b 15.9ab 1.44bc 401.2bc Mn-chelate 2 g/l 23.1bc 5.4b 14.4b 1.44bc 372.5bcd Nano-Mo 20 mg/l 23.5bc 5.3b 14.8b 1.44bc 354.78cde Nano-Mo 40 mg/l 24.9ab 5.6b 14.9b 1.88ab 416.6b Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l 22.2c 5.6b 14.1bc 1.44bc 358.7cde LSD 5% 2.2 0.68 2.26 0.52 52.1 3.4 Biochemical analysis: 3.4.1 Nutrient content in leaves The nutritional content of maize leaves is listed in Table 3 under calcareous soil conditions and its effect on the addition of NFs. It was discovered that the level of nitrogen in the maize plants' leaves had the highest significance with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l (9.9 g/kg), Mn-chelate 2 g/l (8.51 g/kg), and Nano-Mn 40 mg/l (8.5 g/kg), respectively. The phosphorus content of corn leaves showed significantly varied between treatments and control, as it was the highest significance with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment (2.45 g/kg), and the potassium content was the highest significance using the same treatment. The impact of NFs on the micronutrient content of corn leaves grown in calcareous soil. With a value of 268 mg/kg, the results showed that the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment had a highly significant impact on the iron content in the leaves. In addition, the zinc nutrient content in the leaves gave the highest significance in the zinc foliar applications, which were in the following order: Nano-Zn 40 mg/l > Nano-Zn 20 mg/l > Zn-chelate 2 g/l. In the same trend, the Mn content in corn leaves was enhanced using foliar treatment of Mn. When analyzing the copper content in Maize leaves under calcareous soil conditions, both conventional and NFs showed a significant difference between the treatments and controls. Table 3 Effect of NFs on leaves nutrients content of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons) Treatments N (g/kg) P (g/kg) K % Fe (mg/kg) Zn (mg/kg) Mn (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg) Nano -fertilizers Control 3.6f 0.09f 0.5d 118.3j 25.7g 153g 8.6g Nano-Zn 20 mg/l 7.6cd 0.68e 0.62cd 203.3c 58.7b 205.7cde 16.6bc Nano-Zn 40 mg/l 9.7ab 2.45a 1.0a 268a 79a 215c 24.3a Zn-chelate 2 g/l 6.3de 1.65b 0.59d 231.7b 57.3b 211cd 18.2b Nano-Mn 20 mg/l 7.6cd 0.975cd 0.59bc 166.3f 42de 251b 13.3e Nano-Mn 40 mg/l 8.5abc 1.09c 0.84b 186d 49c 271.7a 15.1cd Mn-chelate 2 g/l 8.51abc 0.73e 0.6cd 176e 45cd 238b 14de Nano-Mo 20 mg/l 5.8e 1.025cd 0.81b 131.7i 31f 174.7f 11.2f Nano-Mo 40 mg/l 9.9a 1.01cd 0.84b 152.7g 39.3e 199de 12.7ef Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l 8.1bc 0.91d 0.73bc 142.3h 37.3e 195e 11.6f LSD 5% 1.7 0.155 0.127 7.6 5.3 13.5 1.65 3.4.2 Nutrient content in the grains The Table 4 data demonstrates that when Maize grains were treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, both protein and nitrogen contents increased noticeably, reaching 14.3% and 8.2 g/kg, respectively. The phosphorus content was significantly higher with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment (4.27 g/kg). NFs was better than traditional fertilizer when foliar application with both Mn-chelate 2 g/l and Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l with the potassium content of corn grains, as it was significant in the treatments Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l compared to the control. Regarding the micronutrient content of corn grains under calcareous soil conditions in Table 4 , it was shown that the highest significance was at the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment for the iron content of corn grains (125 mg/kg). The zinc content of corn grains also showed the highest values when foliar application with fertilizer containing zinc, such as NFs (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l) and traditional fertilizer (Zn-chelate 2 g/l). In addition, the manganese content in corn grains was significantly higher with the treatments Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, and Mn-chelate 2 g/l, which recorded values of 22.3, 18.8 and 17.9 mg/kg, respectively. Accordingly, the improvement in the element content in corn grains is due to foliar application with fertilizer containing the same element compared to other treatments free of that element. This was observed for both zinc and manganese. Foliar application with NFs at high concentrations also recorded the highest improvement with each of the treatments (Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l), with values of 9.6, 7.2, and 6.63 mg/kg, respectively with copper content in the grains corn plant. Table 4 Effect of NFs on protein and grains nutrient content of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons) Treatments Protein (%) N (g/kg) P (g/kg) K (%) Fe (mg/kg) Zn (mg/kg) Mn (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg) Control 7.6g 4.4g 0.84e 0.60c 61e 11.7i 7.1h 4.23e Nano-Zn 20 mg/l 9.6ef 5.54ef 2.98bc 0.74ab 82.3b 24b 27a 10.8f 5.17de Nano-Zn 40 mg/l 13.9ab 7.98ab 4.27a 0.76a 125a 17.1c 7.2b Zn-chelate 2 g/l 8.51fg 4.89fg 3.5b 0.75ab 86b 22c 14.1d 5.67cd Nano-Mn 20 mg/l 12.5bc 7.2bc 2.347d 0.63c 73c 16.3g 18.8b 5.9bcd Nano-Mn 40 mg/l 12.5bc 7.2bc 3.23bc 0.687abc 83.7b 21.3cd 22.3a 9.6a Mn-chelate 2 g/l 10.75de 6.2de 3.23bc 0.65c 75c 19.3ef 17.9c 6.1bcd Nano-Mo 20 mg/l 11.6dc 6.7cd 2.88cd 0.62c 63.3de 14h 9.03g 4.97de Nano-Mo 40 mg/l 14.3a 8.2a 3.17bc 0.76a 67.3d 20de 14.7d 6.63bc Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l 9.9ef 5.7ef 2.67cd 0.66bc 64.3de 17.7fg 12.47e 5.4cde LSD 5% 1.75 1.01 0.57 0.089 4.68 1.99 0.856 1.32 3.4.3 Elements in soil According to the data found in Table 5 , the amount of available nitrogen in the soil was significant in all treatments compared to the control treatment, whether with nano or traditional fertilizer. The results reflect that available phosphorus in calcareous soil indicated the highest significance in the treatments (Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 20 mg/l) with values of (16.2, 15.53, and 15.43 mg/kg), respectively. The soil's potassium levels showed significant differences between the treatments and the control, with the highest recorded value (289.5 mg/kg) when treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l. The results also reflect in Table 5 the concentration of micronutrients in the soil. The amount of available iron in the soil was highest in the treatment (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l) with a value of (10.8 mg/kg). The availability of zinc in the soil was the highest significance with (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l), respectively. Also, the available manganese in the soil had the highest significance at (Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, and Mn-chelate 2 g/l), respectively. In the same direction, the amount of molybdenum in the soil recorded the highest values at the treatments (Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l) respectively. Accordingly, the improvement in soil micronutrients is due to foliar application with fertilizer containing the same element compared to other treatments not containing that element. This was shown for zinc, manganese, and molybdenum (Table 5 ). Table 5 Effect of NFs on elements in the soil of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons) Treatments mg/kg A. N A. P A. K Fe Zn Mn Mo Nano -fertilizers Control 62g 6.73d 118.5f 6.175f 1.07e 3.29g 0.02f Nano-Zn 20 mg/l 74e 9.35bc 248.2b 6.18f 2.16bc 3.78f 0.08e Nano-Zn 40 mg/l 86c 15.53a 256.5b 10.8a 2.83a 5.71c 0.24bc Zn-chelate 2 g/l 80d 6.9d 190.3d 6.74ef 2.53ab 4.52e 0.21d Nano-Mn 20 mg/l 74e 6.87d 140.6e 8.115de 1.89cd 7.14a 0.21d Nano-Mn 40 mg/l 100b 10.82b 215.1c 9.08bcd 1.997bcd 7.42a 0.24abc Mn-chelate 2 g/l 66f 8.05cd 173.7d 8.79cd 1.957bcd 7.14a 0.217d Nano-Mo 20 mg/l 84c 15.43a 223.4c 10.18abc 2.14bc 5.03d 0.25ab Nano-Mo 40 mg/l 104a 16.2a 289.5a 10.42ab 2.2bc 6.15b 0.27a Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l 99b 10.63b 264.7b 6.67ef 1.5de 5.29d 0.25ab LSD 5% 2.02 1.82 21.02 1.47 0.6 0.28 0.028 4. Discussion In the present investigation, the application of nano-micronutrient fertilizers led to increased vegetative growth of corn plants at high concentrations of nano-micronutrient fertilizer (40 mg/l). NFs provides nutrient content to Maize plants, achieving a maximum height of 179.5 cm. The study offers the scientific management of nutrients in sandy loam soil 41 . Accordingly, this was reflected in improving the productivity of corn grains under calcareous soil conditions. El-Metwally, et al. 42 found that applying NFs at doses of 10, 20, and 30 mg/l increased grain yield rates. Such results could be due to the effects of NFs making nutrients easier for plants to uptake, which promotes the synthesis of pigments. It has been demonstrated that foliar treatment of ZnO-NPs improves plant height and yield measurements, suggesting that it may increase Maize productivity 43 . The foliar spraying of ZnO-NPs gave the most significant results in terms of optimal planting parameters, specifically plant height 44 . According to the study, nano-micronutrients significantly raised plant height, ear weight, 100-grain weight, and yield of grains, with the highest values observed in the foliar addition of nano-Fe + Zn + Mn, followed by a combination 17 . The increase in Maize yield and its components may be attributed to the foliar application of nano-micronutrients, particularly 10 mg/l zinc Nps, which leads to increased plant height and fresh weight 45 . A nano-urea spray twice at the knee and tasselling stages significantly improved Maize morphology, and yield attributes 46 . 500 mg/l of micro ZnO applied directly was noted 47 . Higher grain was at some point a result of greater ear length and 100-kernel weight. The height of the plant, the number of ears/plants, ear grain weight, 100-grain weight, and grain and biological yields/fed were all greatly affected by the use of NFs; the greatest values were seen at 100g nano/fed 48 . The micro-plot field studies revealed that the application of ZnO-NPs (750 mg/l) significantly influenced yield attributes like total grain weight, 1000 grain weight, and yield in Maize 49 . Reddy, et al. 50 the application of 50% nitrogen through urea and nano urea, combined with nano zinc, significantly increases plant height by 195.80 cm and grain yield by 8926 kg ha − 1 . Plant height and total biological yield were greatly increased by applying nano ZnO at the rate of 100 mg L − 1 51 . The parameters under investigation were significantly improved by foliar application of ZnO-NPs in comparison to other nano micronutrients 52 . The Nano-Zn grain had the highest weight of 27g in the 100-grain weight 53 . The study explores the use of ZnO-NPs in seed nano-priming to enhance Maize traits 54 . When plants were sprayed with a concentration of 30 mg/l of MnO2-NPs, the improved vegetative growth characteristics resulted in a significant rise in plant length % and yield 22 . According to Al-Kraiti, et al. 55 , NFs significantly enhance the vegetative growth of the Maize plant. In this study, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l was the best treatment because it contained a high concentration of molybdenum, which was reflected in the increase in the nitrogen content in corn leaves. This is because molybdenum enters into the composition of nitrogenase and nitrate reductase enzymes. Additionally, it contributes to nitrogen metabolism. The research, similar to those by Muñoz-Márquez, et al. 3 , suggest that the use of Nano Mo enhances nitrogen assimilation and efficiency. According to 56 , the application of NFs in corn plants increased with nitrogen levels, possibly due to the accumulation of nutrients and available nitrogen under NFs treatment. The present study showed that a high response to the phosphorus and potassium content of corn leaves grown in calcareous soil also appeared when treated with foliar additives at a concentration of 40 mg/l for both Nano-Zn, Mn, and Mo. That data supports the findings of 57 , who demonstrated that the plots treated with NFs gave better nutrients. The application of Zn foliar, particularly in nano form, significantly enhanced the availability and uptake of P, leading to an increase in Maize production 58 . Regarding the micronutrient content of corn leaves, the results of this research indicated that the content of both iron and copper elements was improved with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment. As for the foliar treatments with NFs containing zinc and manganese, they played a role in improving the content of these two elements in the leaves of corn growing in calcareous soil. These results are in agreement with Reshma and Meenal 45 that the application of nano zinc via the foliar route resulted in increased zinc content in plant biomass, leading to improved nutrient recovery and yield. Nano Zn and Mn at 1500 mg/l are the most effective treatments for enhancing nutrient composition compared to the control 59 . Noufal, et al. 58 found that the impact of various zinc sources on zinc content in plant shoots can be arranged as ZnO-NP > Zn-EDTA > ZnSO4. The leaves treated with a concentration of 30 mg/l of MnO2-NPs had the best levels of N, P, K, and Zn 22 . In the current study, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l increased both protein and nitrogen content in corn grains, which is related to the role of molybdenum in protein synthesis and enzyme composition. The protein showed a significant response to the NFs form of the applied nutrient compared to the untreated control in studies conducted by 60 . The results of the research also showed that most treatments, including conventional and nano fertilization, improved the content of potassium and phosphorus in Maize grains. As for the micronutrients in corn grains, it was explained that both foliar treatments containing zinc or manganese stimulate the absorption of iron and copper, and thus increase their content in corn grains growing in calcareous soil. While the zinc and manganese content of corn grains improved better with the additional treatments by foliar spraying, whether with nano or traditional fertilizer (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l and Mn-chelate 2 g/l) respectively. Zinc is a necessary element for plants and plays a part in protein synthesis and the activity of numerous enzymes. These findings are in the context of Srivastav, et al. 61 , where 100 mg/L of ZnO-NPs increases the length and biomass of plants. Also, Dimkpa, et al. 62 according to a study, the foliar treatment nano-Mn greatly increased the grain Mn transport efficiency (22% as compared to 20% for salt-Mn), which may provide more control over plant responses. The greatest levels of N, P, and K were obtained in peanut seeds when NFs were applied at 30 mg/l, whereas the highest levels of Fe, Mn, and Zn were obtained when NFs were applied at 40 mg/l 42 . NPs can be customized to improve the availability and uptake of essential nutrients in plants 12 . The spraying of 500 or 1000 mg/l nano K, and 75 mg/l nano Fe significantly increased seed phosphorus uptake in both growing seasons 60 . In this research, the study demonstrated that the concentration of macronutrients on soil that is calcareous for the available nitrogen element had increased when adding foliar addition with molybdenum element, whether as nano or traditional fertilizer. Also, the Nano-Mn 40 mg/l treatment gave an improvement to the available nitrogen in the soil. Also, available phosphorus in calcareous soil improved with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 20 mg/l treatments, respectively. Nano-Mo 40 mg/l showed the highest increase in available potassium in calcareous soil. While micronutrients in the soil. Regarding micronutrients such as iron concentration in the soil, it was more positive with the addition of Nano-Zn 40 mg/l. The concentration of micronutrients in the soil, whether zinc, manganese, or molybdenum, was the highest preference in treatments containing the same element with all concentrations, whether nano or traditional fertilizer, respectively. This is due to the role of zinc adsorb on calcareous soil is a great problem for low zinc utilization. Zn-NFs facilitate intelligent supply to plants and reduce zinc fixation in soil. Also, the nano-form of manganese enhances its efficiency in spreading through plant cell pores, while the addition of molybdenum boosts nitrogen assimilation and enzymatic response. The study found that increased root volume, surface area, total absorption area, and positive absorption area promote nutrient absorption and internal balance, consistent with previous research 62 the application of nano Mn in foliar form significantly impacted the Mn level. Metal NPs have been found to enhance absorption efficiency and selectively target active chemicals to specific plant cell compartments and organelles 12 . The physical/chemical reduction in NFs size enhances their surface-mass ratio, facilitating easier nutrient absorption by roots 63 . According to Srivastav, et al. 61 , ZnO NPs at lower levels (100 mg/L) may promote plant development and be recommended as a zinc fertilizer source for agricultural production. 5. Conclusions Nano-micronutrient fertilizer effectively promoted plant growth and yield parameters in maize crops under calcareous soil. Because of this, a lot of recent agricultural research is concentrating on NFs as a chemical fertilizer substitute, enabling a more environmentally friendly method of farming. Due to the high surface area to volume ratio of NFs, they are more mobile, which can improve agricultural production and plant nutrient uptake. These properties have led to the recognition of NFs as a “smart nutrient system.” It is a new technology in agriculture, with the potential to change corn productivity. The availability of elements is significantly influenced by nano biofertilizers. As they are more mobile and effective, nano biofertilizers at extremely low concentrations have beneficial impacts and have a very small chance of bioaccumulating in the soil. It represents a special combination of beneficial interactions and improves soil fertility. Finally, the recommendation for this research is to use NFs as an alternative to traditional fertilizers due to their harmful effects on the environment, ease of application, rapid entry into the plant, availability in the soil, and saving on the quantities of fertilizers used. Declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Author Contribution D. S. and M. 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Journal of Nanomaterials 2019 , 3476347 (2019). Kim, W.-S., Kim, H.-C. & Hong, S.-H. Gas sensing properties of MoO 3 nanoparticles synthesized by solvothermal method. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 12 , 1889-1896 (2010). Shaban, E. E. et al. The effect of exposure to MoO3-NP and common bean fertilized by MoO3-NPs on biochemical, hematological, and histopathological parameters in rats. Scientific Reports 12 , 12074, doi:10.1038/s41598-022-16022-8 (2022). Lohar, D., S Matukdhari ,B Ajanta, & Srivastava, R. P. To Study the Effect of Foliar Spray of Nano Fertilizer on Growth Characters of Rabi Maize (Zea mays L.) in Mandsaur Region (MP), India. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 36 273-278 (2024). El-Metwally, I., Doaa, M., Abo-Basha, A. & Abd El-Aziz, M. Response of peanut plants to different foliar applications of nano-iron, manganese and zinc under sandy soil conditions. Middle East J. Appl. Sci 8 , 474-482 (2018). Ahmed, S. et al. Exogenously applied nano-zinc oxide mitigates cadmium stress in Zea mays L. through modulation of physiochemical activities and nutrients homeostasis. International Journal of Phytoremediation , 1-16 (2024). Ahmed, R., Yusoff Abd Samad, M., Uddin, M. K., Quddus, M. A. & Hossain, M. M. Recent trends in the foliar spraying of zinc nutrient and zinc oxide nanoparticles in tomato production. Agronomy 11 , 2074 (2021). Reshma, Z. & Meenal, K. Foliar application of biosynthesised zinc nanoparticles as a strategy for ferti-fortification by improving yield, zinc content and zinc use efficiency in amaranth. Heliyon 8 (2022). Samui, S. et al. Growth and productivity of rabi maize as influenced by foliar application of urea and nano-urea. Crop Research 57 , 136-140 (2022). Uma, V., Jayadeva, H., Rehaman, H. A., Kadalli, G. & Umashankar, N. Influence of nano zinc oxide on yield and economics of maize (Zea mays L.). (2019). El-Gizawy, N. Effect of organic, inorganic and nano fertilizers on agronomic traits of maize. Annals of Agricultural Science, Moshtohor 57 , 11-20 (2019). Kasivelu, G. et al. Nano-micronutrients [γ-Fe 2 O 3 (iron) and ZnO (zinc)]: green preparation, characterization, agro-morphological characteristics and crop productivity studies in two crops (rice and maize). New Journal of Chemistry 44 , 11373-11383 (2020). Reddy, B. M., Elankavi, S., Midde, S. K., Mattepally, V. S. & Bhumireddy, D. V. Effects of conventional and nano fertilizers on growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). Bhartiya Krishi Anusandhan Patrika 37 , 379-382 (2022). Ahmad, W., Nepal, J., Xin, X. & He, Z. Nano Zinc-Oxide Enhanced Photosynthetic Apparatus and Photosystem Efficiency of Maize (Zea Mays L.) in Sandy-Acidic Soils. (2022). Marzouk, N. M., Abd-Alrahman, H. A., El-Tanahy, A. M. M. & Mahmoud, S. H. Impact of foliar spraying of nano micronutrient fertilizers on the growth, yield, physical quality, and nutritional value of two snap bean cultivars in sandy soils. Bulletin of the National Research Centre 43 , 1-9 (2019). Farnia, A., Omidi, M. M. & Farnia, A. Effect of nano-zinc chelate and nano-biofertilizer on yield and yield components of maize (Zea mays L.), under water stress condition. Indian J Nat Sci 5 , 4614-4624 (2015). Del Buono, D., Di Michele, A., Costantino, F., Trevisan, M. & Lucini, L. Biogenic ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using a novel plant extract: Application to enhance physiological and biochemical traits in maize. Nanomaterials 11 , 1270 (2021). Al-Kraiti, H. G. A., Hadi, Z. S. C. & Muhammad, N. J. The effect of nano-foliar spraying with G-Power calcium, organic fertilizer, and spraying stages on the growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). Journal of Kerbala for Agricultural Sciences 10 , 56-63 (2023). Al-Saray, M. K. S. & Al-Rubaee, F. Effect of Nano-Nitrogen and manufacture organic fertilizer as supplementary fertilizer in the yield and its component for three synthetics of maize (Zea mays L.). Plant Archives 19 , 1473-1479 (2019). Khardia, N. et al. Soil properties influenced by the foliar application of nano fertilizers in maize (Zea mays L.) Crop. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 34 , 99-111 (2022). Noufal, E., Farid, I., Attia, M. A., Ahmed, R. & Abbas, M. Effect of traditional sources of Zn and ZnO-nano-particles foliar application on productivity and P-uptake of maize plants grown on sandy and clay loam soils. Environment, Biodiversity and Soil Security 5 , 59-72 (2021). Mohamed, A. A. Impact of foliar application of nanomicronutrient fertilizers on some quantitative and qualitative traits of" Thompson seedless" grapevine. Middle East J. Appl. Sci 10 , 435-441 (2020). El-Khouly, N., Fergani, M., El-temsah, M., El-Saady, K. & Shahin, M. 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Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 01 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Feb, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Feb, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Feb, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 08 Feb, 2025 Editor invited by journal 28 Jan, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Jan, 2025 First submitted to journal 23 Jan, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5886927","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":407444559,"identity":"cfadba2e-c7bf-4f2a-9ca2-46df7574800f","order_by":0,"name":"Dalal H. Sary","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Agricultural Research Center","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dalal","middleName":"H.","lastName":"Sary","suffix":""},{"id":407444560,"identity":"8585cd33-dc46-480d-a04c-896b8037f066","order_by":1,"name":"Mahmoud E. Abd El-Aziz","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHhDBDOUY2MhBRYjWUpBmTKqWD4cTGwhp0W0/e3TDxzZrBn7+4w8/3TBgTt9w/OzBBx8Y7OR0G7BrMTuTl3ZzZls6g+SMHGPpHAO23A1n8pINZzAkG5sdwKHlQI7Zbd62wwwGN3gYgFp4cjcARaR5GA4kbsOl5fwbiBb788cf/84xkEg3AIrg13IDZgtDghnQFoMEgxuEbLnxxuzmjHPpDBJAldY5BgmGM2+8MTacYYDHL+dzzG58KAOGWP/xx7dz/vyX5zufY/jgQ4WdHC4tMFDfAGMpgFUa4FeOCuQbCCoZBaNgFIyCEQYAE8FgIls1us4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"National Research Centre","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mahmoud","middleName":"E. Abd","lastName":"El-Aziz","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-01-23 09:23:29","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11273-7","type":"published","date":"2025-07-16T00:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":74907751,"identity":"9652c907-b00a-46bc-b973-fdca114203bf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-28 08:30:45","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1327785,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTEM image of (a) ZnO-NPs, (b) MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs, and (c) MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs and their corresponding XRD.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5886927/v1/4b9fd0cb978708417349dc40.png"},{"id":74907750,"identity":"3a4c60b9-c643-48d4-9d04-e6d9b8be9734","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-28 08:30:45","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":27015,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffects of NFs on yield of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5886927/v1/bd4f7ee275f59bf78a848bbe.png"},{"id":87062610,"identity":"39a7062b-ec4d-4334-94b6-2819174754e4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-18 17:28:30","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3254819,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5886927/v1/e07105f0-645a-493d-b51e-f5d2bb4271e1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Nano-Fertilizers for Improving Yield in Maize Plants under Calcareous Soil Conditions to Achieve Sustainability","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introductions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn Egypt, the area planted with maize is about 0.66\u0026nbsp;million hectares to produce about 5.85\u0026nbsp;million tons of grains which are used in human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The plant growth and quality as well as soil quality can be improved by controlling the availability of nutrients in the rhizosphere. This is especially crucial because the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, which can be expensive for farmers and environmentally harmful, has made managing micronutrients a global concern \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Crop development and yield can be increased by improving nutrient delivery through nanotechnology (NT).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRecently, NT has been used for the production of high-efficiency sustainable fertilizers, to enhance crop productivity and reduce the high cost of traditional fertilizers \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. NT enhances agriculture by providing premium quality, environmental safety, biological support, and financial stability, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fertilizers by improving physical, chemical, and biological properties \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNano-fertilizers (NFs), sized between 1 and 100 nm, offer a superior alternative to traditional fertilizers due to their higher nutrient use efficiency and increased plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. It is also known as a \"smart system of nutrients\". These materials optimize plant nutrition and offer an economical alternative to chemical fertilizers, thereby increasing global food production sustainably and providing a novel method for optimizing nutrient supply \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. NFs are characteristic that they are more mobile, have a larger surface area to volume ratio, long-lasting duration and simple penetration which improves plant nutrient absorption and availability thus increasing crop yield and quality \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, it increases the microbial count, nutritional value, and bioavailability and improves soil health \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderstanding nanoparticle interactions with crops can enhance our understanding of uptake, mobilization, and accumulation in agri-nanotechnology \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Essential nanometals enter plant tissues through various pathways, including soil microbes and root exudates in roots and open stomata or thin permeable regions in leaves. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be transported through endocytosis, carrier interaction, or plasmodesmata between cells, despite their limited cellular movement due to cell wall pore size and Casparian strip \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Foliar absorption, through which nutrients are readily absorbed through nanopores in leaf plasmodesmata, is the most efficient technique \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Some metal oxide NPs such as zinc or magnesium oxide may promote plant growth and improve the efficiency of micronutrient application in soils.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlant enzyme catalytic activity depends on zinc, however reduced efficiency brought on by soil clay complex adsorption is a problem. Zn-NFs promote intelligent plant transport and reduce soil fixation \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Research suggests that applying Zn directly to plant foliage can overcome issues like rapid immobilization in calcareous soils. The use of ZnO-NPs could address issues with traditional soluble forms, such as leaf burning, which can occur with soluble Zn \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Nanomaterials can improve plant productivity by creating more soluble and diffusible sources of Zn fertilizer due to their small size, higher surface area, and reactivity \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Maize grown under 600 mg/L Zn nano spray showed high-ranking standards in terms of growth, income, and quality of maize grains \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In comparison with the control, the synthesized zinc hydroxy nitrate considerably enhanced the yield and quality of corn grains by maintaining useful concentration over the vegetative stage, suggesting that it may be used as a long-term foliar fertilizer \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe use of NFs in agriculture has seen a surge in recent years, with Mn-NPs being found to be safer and potentially increase crop productivity \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Mn is essential for photosynthesis, respiration, and N metabolism in plants, and its nanomaterials may modulate photochemistry in soil-plant systems \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Mn-NPs are better micronutrient sources for Mn than commercially available MnSO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e salt \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. One benefit of employing Mn-NPs is that they could be able to go through plant cell pores more efficiently. Additionally, plants undergo alterations due to the nanomaterials improving their growth and production \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Mn-NPs have modest impacts on plant nutrition, possibly improving Mn nutrition when applied directly to plant foliage \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMo is a crucial micronutrient in plant metabolism, acting as a structural component of the nitrate reductase enzyme, which is vital for the assimilation of nitrogen \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The microbiological characteristics of the rhizosphere of all categories of agriculturally useful microbes were reported to have significantly improved due to Mo-NPs \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Mo-NPS enhances plant growth through complex physiological processes, including enhanced enzymatic reactions and nitrogen absorption. It promotes nutrient absorption and homeostasis by increasing root volume, surface area, total absorption area, and positive absorption area \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This study aims to use NFs as a new technology to achieve maximum maize plant productivity under calcareous soil conditions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Materials\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eManganese nitrate, ammonium molybdate, citric acid and zinc acetate were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Company. Sodium hydroxide, and ammonium hydroxide were purchased from S.d. Fine-Chem.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Preparation of nano-nutrient fertilizer\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eZnO-NPs were made by refluxing 3.942 g of zinc acetate in 1l of ethanol with 1.44 g of NaOH for two hours at 70\u0026deg;C. After obtaining and purifying ZnO-NPs using DI-water, they were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 5000 rpm to produce a fine white powder that was dried for 24 hours at 60\u0026deg;C \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eManganese nitrate (Mn (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026bull;4H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO, 10 g) was firstly dissolved in 5 ml of water at 80\u0026deg;C under stirring for 10 minutes, then the concentrated solution was heated in an oven at 100\u0026deg;C for 24 hours until it turned into a black, viscous liquid. This process produced MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs. The black particles were then dried at 100\u0026deg;C after the deionized water was added to a viscous liquid and centrifuged three times for 15 minutes at 10,000 rpm \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs were made using the sol-gel technique. After dissolving ammonium molybdate (11.6 g) and citric acid (3.8 g) in distilled water under stirring, ammonium hydroxide was used to adjust the pH to 7. After heating the resulting solution to 250\u0026deg;C for one hour to produce a powder, it was then increased to 500\u0026deg;C for 120 minutes to produce MoO3-NPs. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Characterization\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransmission electron microscope (TEM; JEM-1230, Japan) set to 120 kV, 600 x 10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e magnification, and 0.2 nm resolution, was used to evaluate the shape and size of produced NPs. The NPs' X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were obtained using a Philips X-ray diffractometer (PW 1820 goniometer, PW 1930 generator, and radiation source CuK) and a Diano X-ray diffractometer with radiation source CoKα running at 45 kV.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4 Field experiment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA field experiment was done at the El-Nubaria Research Station, Behaira Governorate, Agric. Res. Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt, to evaluate the effects of nano micronutrient fertilizers on the growth, yield, and nutritional value of Maize (Zea \u003cem\u003emays\u003c/em\u003e, L) plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions during the summers of 2022 and 2023.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe farm's geographical locations are 30\u0026deg; 90\u0026acute; N, 29\u0026deg; 96\u0026acute; E, and it is 25 m above sea level. The analysis of the soil samples followed Page, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e procedures. It had the following properties: pH 8.3, organic matter 0.8%, CaCO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e 28.4%, EC 1.4 dS/m, A.N 40 mg/kg, A.P 3 mg/kg, A.K 100 mg/kg, DTPA-Fe 4 mg/kg, DTPA-Mn 2.8 mg/kg, DTPA-Zn 1.04 mg/kg, and Mo 0.02 mg/kg. The soil texture was loamy sand (sand 79%, silt 13.8%, and clay 7.2%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.5 Experimental design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe field experiment involved 30 randomized complete block design arrangements with three replications, each with 4 lines of plantation, 3.5 m long rows, 0.75 m row spacing, and 0.20 m plant-to-plant spacing in a 10.5 m plot size. The study treatments included; control, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Mn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l and ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l, which were applied using foliar sprays for three times a season at one-month intervals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.6 Maize cultivar\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Agricultural Research Center's Corn Research Department in Giza, Egypt, produced the single hybrid 166 maize (\u003cem\u003eZea mays\u003c/em\u003e, L). The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt recommended adding N fertilizer in the form of ammonium sulfate (20.5% N), P fertilizer in the form of superphosphate (15.5% P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e), and K fertilizer in the form of potassium sulfate (48% K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO). The general techniques suggested by the Ministry of Agriculture for corn crops were followed for all other farming operations, such as fertilizers, irrigation, weeds, disease control, etc.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.7 Vegetable growth and yield components\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlant height (cm), fresh weight of plant (kg), ear length (cm)/plant, ear diameter (cm), number of rows/ear, number of ears/plant, weight of 100 grains (g), weight of ears (g)/plant, weight of grains (g)/plant, and grain yield (ton/ha) as a mean value for two seasons were all determined by taking three plant samples from each plot. Grain yield (ton/ha) was calculated by removing and cleaning grains that were within 1 m\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e of the plot's center. On a dry weight basis, the grain yield and grain weight per plant (grams) were noted. 100 grains were counted and weighed from replicated samples of clean grains (broken grain and foreign material removed) that were selected at random.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8 Biochemical analysis:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8.1 Elements in leaves and grains\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eHarvest plant samples were used for nutrient determination, where nitrogen and protein were estimated using Micro-Kjeldhl, phosphorus was determined colorimetrically, and potassium was measured using a Flame Photometer Estefan \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8.2 Elements in soil\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e1% K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, 0.5N NaHCO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, and 1N NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003eOAc (pH 7.0) were used to extract the soil's available N, P, and K, respectively \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The Kjeldahl apparatus was used to distill the soil extracts and the UV-Vis. A spectrophotometer and flame photometer were used to measure their color. According to Lindsay and Norvell \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, the levels of Fe, Zn, Mn, and Mo that were available were determined by extracting using DTPA solution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.9 Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe least differences (LSD) in the means of the data of the two seasons were analyzed statistically \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Characteristics of nano-fertilizers\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigures\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003ea, b, \u003cb\u003eand c\u003c/b\u003e show the morphological structures of ZnO-NPs, MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs, and MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e -NPs, respectively, and their corresponding XRD. The as-prepared NPs have particle sizes smaller than 100 nm which are demonstrated by the results. MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs had a consistent diamond shape and an average particle size of 75 nm, while ZnO-NPs' TEM picture revealed an average particle size of 25 nm. while, the average particle size of MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-NPs displayed 10 nm.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe crystal structures of the ZnO, MnO2, and MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e -NPs were investigated using X-ray diffraction measurements (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The plans (100), (002), (101), (102), and (110) are associated with the principal ZnO-NPs peaks that were measured at 2θ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;32, 34.4, 36.4, 47.7\u0026deg;, and 56.7\u0026deg;, respectively \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In addition, The MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-NPS show three phases known as α-MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, γ-MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and β-MnO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e which appeared peaks at 2θ (28.7 and 37.3\u0026deg;), (24.8 and 65\u0026deg;), and (42.82, 46.02, 56.65, and 59.3\u0026deg;), respectively \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The orthorhombic crystal structure of MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026ndash;NPs is shown by the peaks at 2θ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;13.9, 23.2, 26.1, 34.5, 39.3, and 49\u0026deg; in the MoO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026ndash;NP pattern \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The produced nanoparticles' XRD patterns show that the as-prepared NPs are pure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.2 Vegetable growth and yield components\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows that NFs applications were significant for all additions compared to the control treatment for Maize plant height under calcareous soil conditions. The fresh weight of the corn plant was highest when treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, which was (1.377 kg). Nano-Zn 40 mg/l gave the highest value of the 100-grain weight of corn (40.7 g). The grain weight per plant was significantly higher in the Nano-Mo 40 mg/l (239.4 g) treatment, followed by the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l (236.2 g) treatment. The productivity of corn grains per hectare gave the highest significance at the highest concentrations of NFs, which took the following order: Nano-Mn 40 mg/l\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Nano-Mo 40 mg/l\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Nano-Zn 40 mg/l. Accordingly, Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows that the Nano-Mn 40 mg/l treatment had the highest value (15.1 ton/ha) compared to the control (9.84 ton/ha) for corn yield of grains under calcareous soil.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffects of NFs on the growth and yield of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlant Height (cm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFresh weight of the plant (kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeight of 100 grains (g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeight of grains (g)/plant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrains yield (ton/ha)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNano -fertilizers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eControl\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.627d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167.4de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.84e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e221.7a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.920bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.3abcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e191.8abcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e228a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.990b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.7a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e236.2a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.64abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e225.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.930bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e183.1abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.76de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e212a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.776cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.3e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e189.8e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.76de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.964b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.7cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e209cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.12a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e218.7a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.888bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e234.8abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.48cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e208.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.839bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.7abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e207.9abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.96cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e218a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.377a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.7ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e239.4ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.88ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmmonium molybdate 250 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e217a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.997b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.3bcde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220.7bcde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.2bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLSD 5%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.169\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.836\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Characteristics cob of Maize plant.\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows no significant differences in Maize plant characteristics under calcareous soil conditions with NFs at high concentrations (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mn 40 mg/l) of ear length for each plant. The diameter of the ear for each plant was significant in the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment, which gave the highest value (6.5 cm) among all treatments and the control. The highest number of rows per ear of corn was obtained when adding Nano-Zn 40 mg/l (17.3). With values of 2.33 and 1.88, respectively, the addition of 40 mg/l Nano-Zn and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l treatment demonstrated the greatest increase in the number of ears per corn plant. The highest significance level for measuring the weight of the ear per corn plant was found in the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment, with a value of (494.7 g).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffects of NFs on characteristics cob of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of ear /plant (cm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiameter of ear (cm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo. rows /ear\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo. ears/plant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeight of ears /plant (g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNano -fertilizers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eControl\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.8d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.4c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.9c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e262.3f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.2b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.1bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e385.1bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.8a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.33a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e494.7a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.3bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.7b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e337.1de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.5c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.4b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.8b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e317.0e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.9abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.5b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.9ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e401.2bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.1bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.4b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.4b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e372.5bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.5bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.3b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.8b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e354.78cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.9ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.6b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.9b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.88ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e416.6b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmmonium molybdate 250 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.2c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.6b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.1bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e358.7cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLSD 5%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Biochemical analysis:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4.1 Nutrient content in leaves\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe nutritional content of maize leaves is listed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e under calcareous soil conditions and its effect on the addition of NFs. It was discovered that the level of nitrogen in the maize plants' leaves had the highest significance with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l (9.9 g/kg), Mn-chelate 2 g/l (8.51 g/kg), and Nano-Mn 40 mg/l (8.5 g/kg), respectively. The phosphorus content of corn leaves showed significantly varied between treatments and control, as it was the highest significance with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment (2.45 g/kg), and the potassium content was the highest significance using the same treatment. The impact of NFs on the micronutrient content of corn leaves grown in calcareous soil. With a value of 268 mg/kg, the results showed that the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment had a highly significant impact on the iron content in the leaves. In addition, the zinc nutrient content in the leaves gave the highest significance in the zinc foliar applications, which were in the following order: Nano-Zn 40 mg/l\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Nano-Zn 20 mg/l\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Zn-chelate 2 g/l. In the same trend, the Mn content in corn leaves was enhanced using foliar treatment of Mn. When analyzing the copper content in Maize leaves under calcareous soil conditions, both conventional and NFs showed a significant difference between the treatments and controls.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of NFs on leaves nutrients content of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN (g/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP (g/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eK\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFe (mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZn (mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMn (mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCu (mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNano -fertilizers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eControl\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.6f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e118.3j\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.7g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e153g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.6g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.6cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e203.3c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.7b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e205.7cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.6bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.7ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.45a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.0a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e268a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e215c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.3de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.65b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.59d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e231.7b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57.3b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e211cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.2b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.6cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.975cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.59bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e166.3f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e251b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.3e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.5abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.09c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e186d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e271.7a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.1cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.51abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.73e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e176e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e238b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 20 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.8e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.025cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.81b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e131.7i\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e174.7f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.2f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 40 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.9a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.01cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e152.7g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.3e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e199de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.7ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmmonium molybdate 250 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.1bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.91d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.73bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e142.3h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.3e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e195e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.6f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLSD 5%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.127\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4.2 Nutrient content in the grains\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e data demonstrates that when Maize grains were treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, both protein and nitrogen contents increased noticeably, reaching 14.3% and 8.2 g/kg, respectively. The phosphorus content was significantly higher with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment (4.27 g/kg). NFs was better than traditional fertilizer when foliar application with both Mn-chelate 2 g/l and Ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l with the potassium content of corn grains, as it was significant in the treatments Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l compared to the control. Regarding the micronutrient content of corn grains under calcareous soil conditions in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, it was shown that the highest significance was at the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment for the iron content of corn grains (125 mg/kg). The zinc content of corn grains also showed the highest values when foliar application with fertilizer containing zinc, such as NFs (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l) and traditional fertilizer (Zn-chelate 2 g/l). In addition, the manganese content in corn grains was significantly higher with the treatments Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, and Mn-chelate 2 g/l, which recorded values of 22.3, 18.8 and 17.9 mg/kg, respectively. Accordingly, the improvement in the element content in corn grains is due to foliar application with fertilizer containing the same element compared to other treatments free of that element. This was observed for both zinc and manganese. Foliar application with NFs at high concentrations also recorded the highest improvement with each of the treatments (Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l), with values of 9.6, 7.2, and 6.63 mg/kg, respectively with copper content in the grains corn plant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of NFs on protein and grains nutrient content of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"12\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProtein\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(g/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(g/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eK\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFe\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZn\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMn\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c12\" namest=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCu\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eControl\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.6g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.4g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.60c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.7i\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.1h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.23e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.6ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.54ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.98bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.74ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.3b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24b\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e27a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.8f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.17de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.9ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.98ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.27a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.1c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.51fg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.89fg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.5b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.75ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.1d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.67cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.347d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.3g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.8b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.9bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.23bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.687abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.7b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.3cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.6a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.75de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.2de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.23bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.65c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.3ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.9c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.1bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.6dc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.7cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.88cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63.3de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.03g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.97de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.2a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.17bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67.3d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.7d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.63bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmmonium molybdate 250 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.9ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.7ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.67cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.66bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64.3de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.7fg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.47e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.4cde\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLSD 5%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.089\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.856\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4.3 Elements in soil\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the data found in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, the amount of available nitrogen in the soil was significant in all treatments compared to the control treatment, whether with nano or traditional fertilizer. The results reflect that available phosphorus in calcareous soil indicated the highest significance in the treatments (Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 20 mg/l) with values of (16.2, 15.53, and 15.43 mg/kg), respectively. The soil's potassium levels showed significant differences between the treatments and the control, with the highest recorded value (289.5 mg/kg) when treated with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l. The results also reflect in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e the concentration of micronutrients in the soil. The amount of available iron in the soil was highest in the treatment (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l) with a value of (10.8 mg/kg). The availability of zinc in the soil was the highest significance with (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, and Nano-Zn 20 mg/l), respectively. Also, the available manganese in the soil had the highest significance at (Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, and Mn-chelate 2 g/l), respectively. In the same direction, the amount of molybdenum in the soil recorded the highest values at the treatments (Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 40 mg/l) respectively. Accordingly, the improvement in soil micronutrients is due to foliar application with fertilizer containing the same element compared to other treatments not containing that element. This was shown for zinc, manganese, and molybdenum (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of NFs on elements in the soil of Maize plant cultivars under calcareous soil conditions (combined analysis of two successive seasons)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003emg/kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA. N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA. P\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA. K\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMn\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNano -fertilizers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eControl\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.73d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e118.5f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.175f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.07e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.29g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.35bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e248.2b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.18f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.16bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Zn 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.53a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e256.5b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.8a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.83a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.71c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.24bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eZn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.9d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190.3d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.74ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.53ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.52e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.87d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e140.6e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.115de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.89cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.14a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mn 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.82b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e215.1c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.08bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.997bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.42a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.24abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMn-chelate 2 g/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66f\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.05cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e173.7d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.79cd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.957bcd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.14a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.217d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 20\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.43a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e223.4c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.18abc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.14bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.03d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNano-Mo 40\u003c/b\u003e mg/l\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.2a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e289.5a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.42ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2bc\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.15b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.27a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmmonium molybdate 250 mg/l\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.63b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e264.7b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.67ef\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.5de\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.29d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.25ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLSD 5%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.028\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn the present investigation, the application of nano-micronutrient fertilizers led to increased vegetative growth of corn plants at high concentrations of nano-micronutrient fertilizer (40 mg/l). NFs provides nutrient content to Maize plants, achieving a maximum height of 179.5 cm. The study offers the scientific management of nutrients in sandy loam soil \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Accordingly, this was reflected in improving the productivity of corn grains under calcareous soil conditions. El-Metwally, et al. \u003csup\u003e42\u003c/sup\u003e found that applying NFs at doses of 10, 20, and 30 mg/l increased grain yield rates. Such results could be due to the effects of NFs making nutrients easier for plants to uptake, which promotes the synthesis of pigments. It has been demonstrated that foliar treatment of ZnO-NPs improves plant height and yield measurements, suggesting that it may increase Maize productivity \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The foliar spraying of ZnO-NPs gave the most significant results in terms of optimal planting parameters, specifically plant height \u003csup\u003e44\u003c/sup\u003e. According to the study, nano-micronutrients significantly raised plant height, ear weight, 100-grain weight, and yield of grains, with the highest values observed in the foliar addition of nano-Fe\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Mn, followed by a combination \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The increase in Maize yield and its components may be attributed to the foliar application of nano-micronutrients, particularly 10 mg/l zinc Nps, which leads to increased plant height and fresh weight \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. A nano-urea spray twice at the knee and tasselling stages significantly improved Maize morphology, and yield attributes \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. 500 mg/l of micro ZnO applied directly was noted \u003csup\u003e47\u003c/sup\u003e. Higher grain was at some point a result of greater ear length and 100-kernel weight. The height of the plant, the number of ears/plants, ear grain weight, 100-grain weight, and grain and biological yields/fed were all greatly affected by the use of NFs; the greatest values were seen at 100g nano/fed \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The micro-plot field studies revealed that the application of ZnO-NPs (750 mg/l) significantly influenced yield attributes like total grain weight, 1000 grain weight, and yield in Maize \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Reddy, et al. \u003csup\u003e50\u003c/sup\u003e the application of 50% nitrogen through urea and nano urea, combined with nano zinc, significantly increases plant height by 195.80 cm and grain yield by 8926 kg ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. Plant height and total biological yield were greatly increased by applying nano ZnO at the rate of 100 mg L\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1 51\u003c/sup\u003e. The parameters under investigation were significantly improved by foliar application of ZnO-NPs in comparison to other nano micronutrients \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The Nano-Zn grain had the highest weight of 27g in the 100-grain weight \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The study explores the use of ZnO-NPs in seed nano-priming to enhance Maize traits \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. When plants were sprayed with a concentration of 30 mg/l of MnO2-NPs, the improved vegetative growth characteristics resulted in a significant rise in plant length % and yield \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. According to Al-Kraiti, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, NFs significantly enhance the vegetative growth of the Maize plant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l was the best treatment because it contained a high concentration of molybdenum, which was reflected in the increase in the nitrogen content in corn leaves. This is because molybdenum enters into the composition of nitrogenase and nitrate reductase enzymes. Additionally, it contributes to nitrogen metabolism. The research, similar to those by Mu\u0026ntilde;oz-M\u0026aacute;rquez, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, suggest that the use of Nano Mo enhances nitrogen assimilation and efficiency. According to \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, the application of NFs in corn plants increased with nitrogen levels, possibly due to the accumulation of nutrients and available nitrogen under NFs treatment. The present study showed that a high response to the phosphorus and potassium content of corn leaves grown in calcareous soil also appeared when treated with foliar additives at a concentration of 40 mg/l for both Nano-Zn, Mn, and Mo. That data supports the findings of \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, who demonstrated that the plots treated with NFs gave better nutrients. The application of Zn foliar, particularly in nano form, significantly enhanced the availability and uptake of P, leading to an increase in Maize production \u003csup\u003e58\u003c/sup\u003e. Regarding the micronutrient content of corn leaves, the results of this research indicated that the content of both iron and copper elements was improved with the Nano-Zn 40 mg/l treatment. As for the foliar treatments with NFs containing zinc and manganese, they played a role in improving the content of these two elements in the leaves of corn growing in calcareous soil. These results are in agreement with Reshma and Meenal \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e that the application of nano zinc via the foliar route resulted in increased zinc content in plant biomass, leading to improved nutrient recovery and yield. Nano Zn and Mn at 1500 mg/l are the most effective treatments for enhancing nutrient composition compared to the control \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Noufal, et al. \u003csup\u003e58\u003c/sup\u003e found that the impact of various zinc sources on zinc content in plant shoots can be arranged as ZnO-NP\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Zn-EDTA\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;ZnSO4. The leaves treated with a concentration of 30 mg/l of MnO2-NPs had the best levels of N, P, K, and Zn \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the current study, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l increased both protein and nitrogen content in corn grains, which is related to the role of molybdenum in protein synthesis and enzyme composition. The protein showed a significant response to the NFs form of the applied nutrient compared to the untreated control in studies conducted by \u003csup\u003e60\u003c/sup\u003e. The results of the research also showed that most treatments, including conventional and nano fertilization, improved the content of potassium and phosphorus in Maize grains. As for the micronutrients in corn grains, it was explained that both foliar treatments containing zinc or manganese stimulate the absorption of iron and copper, and thus increase their content in corn grains growing in calcareous soil. While the zinc and manganese content of corn grains improved better with the additional treatments by foliar spraying, whether with nano or traditional fertilizer (Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l and Mn-chelate 2 g/l) respectively. Zinc is a necessary element for plants and plays a part in protein synthesis and the activity of numerous enzymes. These findings are in the context of Srivastav, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, where 100 mg/L of ZnO-NPs increases the length and biomass of plants. Also, Dimkpa, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e according to a study, the foliar treatment nano-Mn greatly increased the grain Mn transport efficiency (22% as compared to 20% for salt-Mn), which may provide more control over plant responses. The greatest levels of N, P, and K were obtained in peanut seeds when NFs were applied at 30 mg/l, whereas the highest levels of Fe, Mn, and Zn were obtained when NFs were applied at 40 mg/l \u003csup\u003e42\u003c/sup\u003e. NPs can be customized to improve the availability and uptake of essential nutrients in plants \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The spraying of 500 or 1000 mg/l nano K, and 75 mg/l nano Fe significantly increased seed phosphorus uptake in both growing seasons \u003csup\u003e60\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this research, the study demonstrated that the concentration of macronutrients on soil that is calcareous for the available nitrogen element had increased when adding foliar addition with molybdenum element, whether as nano or traditional fertilizer. Also, the Nano-Mn 40 mg/l treatment gave an improvement to the available nitrogen in the soil. Also, available phosphorus in calcareous soil improved with Nano-Mo 40 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, and Nano-Mo 20 mg/l treatments, respectively. Nano-Mo 40 mg/l showed the highest increase in available potassium in calcareous soil. While micronutrients in the soil. Regarding micronutrients such as iron concentration in the soil, it was more positive with the addition of Nano-Zn 40 mg/l. The concentration of micronutrients in the soil, whether zinc, manganese, or molybdenum, was the highest preference in treatments containing the same element with all concentrations, whether nano or traditional fertilizer, respectively. This is due to the role of zinc adsorb on calcareous soil is a great problem for low zinc utilization. Zn-NFs facilitate intelligent supply to plants and reduce zinc fixation in soil. Also, the nano-form of manganese enhances its efficiency in spreading through plant cell pores, while the addition of molybdenum boosts nitrogen assimilation and enzymatic response. The study found that increased root volume, surface area, total absorption area, and positive absorption area promote nutrient absorption and internal balance, consistent with previous research \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e the application of nano Mn in foliar form significantly impacted the Mn level. Metal NPs have been found to enhance absorption efficiency and selectively target active chemicals to specific plant cell compartments and organelles \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The physical/chemical reduction in NFs size enhances their surface-mass ratio, facilitating easier nutrient absorption by roots \u003csup\u003e63\u003c/sup\u003e. According to Srivastav, et al. \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, ZnO NPs at lower levels (100 mg/L) may promote plant development and be recommended as a zinc fertilizer source for agricultural production.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eNano-micronutrient fertilizer effectively promoted plant growth and yield parameters in maize crops under calcareous soil. Because of this, a lot of recent agricultural research is concentrating on NFs as a chemical fertilizer substitute, enabling a more environmentally friendly method of farming. Due to the high surface area to volume ratio of NFs, they are more mobile, which can improve agricultural production and plant nutrient uptake. These properties have led to the recognition of NFs as a \u0026ldquo;smart nutrient system.\u0026rdquo; It is a new technology in agriculture, with the potential to change corn productivity. The availability of elements is significantly influenced by nano biofertilizers. As they are more mobile and effective, nano biofertilizers at extremely low concentrations have beneficial impacts and have a very small chance of bioaccumulating in the soil. It represents a special combination of beneficial interactions and improves soil fertility. Finally, the recommendation for this research is to use NFs as an alternative to traditional fertilizers due to their harmful effects on the environment, ease of application, rapid entry into the plant, availability in the soil, and saving on the quantities of fertilizers used.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eD. S. and M. A. share in the Conceptualization, methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing\u0026mdash;review, and editing of this paper\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFAOSTAT, F. 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Nano-fertilizers: a novel way for enhancing nutrient use efficiency and crop productivity. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e7\u003c/strong\u003e, 3325-3335 (2018).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Maize, Nano micronutrient, Calcareous, Soil","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAgriculture in calcareous soil suffers from many problems such as high calcium carbonate content, low organic matter, and poor availability of elements. In the summer of two seasons 2022 and 2023, the maize crop (\u003cem\u003eZea mays\u003c/em\u003e, L) was planted in the El-Nubaria Agricultural Research Station farm, Egypt, to study the effect of nano-micronutrient fertilizers. The field experiment was done through a randomized completely block design with treatments: Control, Nano-Zn 20 mg/l, Nano-Zn 40 mg/l, Zn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mn 20 mg/l, Nano-Mn 40 mg/l, Mn-chelate 2 g/l, Nano-Mo 20 mg/l, Nano-Mo 40 mg/l and ammonium molybdate 250 mg/l. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to analyze the synthesized nano-micronutrient fertilizers. The data showed that 40 mg/l of nano-micronutrient fertilizer was the most effective treatment for most studied traits. Nano-fertilizer (NFs) also demonstrated better preference than traditional fertilizer for each of the growth characteristics, corn productivity, the content of elements in the plant, and their availability in the soil. The application of NFs containing molybdenum to corn grains resulted in a higher positive protein and nitrogen content. The content of zinc, manganese, and molybdenum in corn leaves and grains and their availability in calcareous soil was more stimulated with the treatments of nano-micronutrient and traditional fertilizers containing the same element with all concentrations of doses.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Nano-Fertilizers for Improving Yield in Maize Plants under Calcareous Soil Conditions to Achieve Sustainability","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-01-28 08:30:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5886927/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-05-12T06:02:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-10T14:27:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"175394338715949245812945220441841391748","date":"2025-04-11T04:59:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-01T10:25:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"227128765673226295912099495218940210466","date":"2025-02-08T17:30:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"285351649773275319163808840786126863223","date":"2025-02-08T17:27:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-02-08T17:25:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-02-08T17:23:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-01-28T18:03:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-01-27T05:21:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-01-23T09:19:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3a8cef5e-b37c-4b67-923e-c96e720bf96b","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 28th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":43442588,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences"},{"id":43442589,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-18T17:28:21+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-5886927","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11273-7","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-07-16 00:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"July 16th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-01-28 08:30:41","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-11273-7","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11273-7","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5886927","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5886927","identity":"rs-5886927","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}