Nanoscience coupled with nanotechnology has emerged as possible cost-cutting measure to prodigal farming and environmental clean-up operations. Nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, which is more widely known using the novel term 'nanotechnology', is an emerging multidisciplinary field that can have enormous potential impact on our society. Nanofertilizers facilitate slow and steady release of nutrients and thereby reduce the loss of nutrients and enhance the nutrient use efficiency. The full recommended rate of conventional and nanofertilizer (FRR-CF+FRR-NF) enhanced the plant height, chlorophyll content, number of reproductive tillers, panicles, and spikelets in rice. The magnitudes of increase over the FRR-CF were 3.6%, 2.72%, 9.10%, 9.10%, and 15.42%, respectively. In rice, an exposure to Zn NP (at 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 & 150 mg L -1 ) caused significant changes in root and shoot length and mass (fresh and dry mass). The ZnO nanoparticles increased the shoot dry matter and leaf area indexes by 63.8% and 69.7% respectively in mineral poor soils. The effect of TiO 2 Nano particles was significant on number of corn in plant, maize dry weight and corn yield in P0.05 in . Mean comparison showed that the highest number of corn in plant (10.10), maize dry weight (2396.35 kg ha -1 ) and corn yield (1744.13 kg ha -1 ) were achieved by flowering stage. Silver nanoparticles in 25 ppm concentration have showed significant improvement in maximum leaf area and highest grain yield while 75 ppm concentration resulted in decrease in grain yield in wheat. Maximum number of grains per spike was recorded with 25 ppm followed by 50 ppm whereas maximum 100-grain weight was obtained for 25 and 125 ppm soil applied silver nanoparticles in wheat.

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A soil survey was carried out in different groundnut growing calcareous Vertisols of Dharwad district, Karnataka, India. One hundred surface composite soil samples were collected from five talukas (mandal) of Dharwad district and analyzed for soil chemical properties and nutrient status. The results showed that soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, free CaCO3 content ranged from 6.9-8.9, 0.15-1.79 dS m-1, 2.40-9.10 g kg-1, 5.8 -22.2 respectively across the regions. Available nitrogen, phosphorus (P2O5), potassium (K2O) and sulphur contents widely varied from 107-268, 18.5 - 56.0 and 386- 876, 14.8- 41.0 kg ha-1, respectively. On the basis of nutrient index values, groundnut growing calcareous soils of Dharwad were categorized as deficient in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and high in available potassium. Most of the samples were deficient in available Fe and Zn whereas DTPA-extractable Cu and Mn were above the critical limits. A significant and positive correlation was found between organic carbon and available nitrogen (r=0.730**). However, a negative correlation was observed between Soil pH and micro nutrients while CaCO3 was negatively correlated with available iron (r=-0.31**).

A field experiment was conducted at Main Agricultural Research Station (MARS), University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, to know the effect of water soluble fertilizers on growth, yield and oil content of groundnut (Cv TAG 24).  The experiment was conducted in a Vertisol with ten treatment combinations consisting of FYM and different doses of recommended NPK as basal soil application and foliar spray of water soluble fertilizers at 30, 45 and 60 days after sowing in a Randomized complete block design with three replications. Application of FYM + 100% RDF + foliar spray of fertilizers at 30, 45 and 60 DAS showed higher pod yield (5615 kg/ha) which was 22% higher over application of 100% RDF alone (4601 kg/ha). But the crop was equally responsive in increasing the pod yield, when RDF was reduced by 15% along with foliar application of water soluble grade fertilizer. The yield components, kernel yield (3892 kg/ha), haulm yield (8916 kg/ha), total number of pods plant-1 (33.80), =sound mature kernels (88.67) and oil yield (1858 kg/ha) were highest in the treatment of FYM + 100% RDF + foliar spray of fertilizers over rest of the treatments. But the highest Benefit cost ratio (4.40) was found in the treatment of FYM + 85% RDF + foliar application of fertilizers followed by the treatment of FYM + 100% RDF + foliar application of fertilizers (4.36) whereas the lowest B: C ratio (3.91) was observed in control.

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