Controlled-release fertiliser: Recent developments and perspectives

Traditional fertilisers, though widely used, pose challenges such as low nutrient utilization efficiency and adverse environmental impacts. Controlled release fertiliser (CRF) plays an important role in sustainable agriculture. Its implementation is considered as a transformative approach, promoting environmentally conscious methods for enhancing crop productivity. CRF not only prevents nutrient loss but also ensures a customized nutrient release pattern that aligns with plant physiological and biochemical processes. Despite these advantages, CRF has yet to find extensive adoption in the commercial agricultural practices. This is primarily due to its cost-intensive nature, relatively modest nutrient release efficiency, and the predominant use of petroleum-derived synthetic polymers in its coatings. This review aims to provide a concise summary of the significant advancements, emerging materials and technologies, and potential future applications of CRF in promoting crop sustainability. Particularly, technologies such as plasmas, flow chemistry, metal-organic frameworks, nanotechnologies, and microfluidic sensing have been explored in CRF development. While highlighting the advantages of CRFs, we also address potential disadvantages and discuss recommendations for a successful transition from traditional fertilisers to CRFs, maximizing their advantages.