Due to the higher
potential for enhancing nutrient use efficiency,
nanofertilizer (NF) is crucial in sustainable crop production. Thus,
foliar-applied mixed nanofertilizer (MNFf) and commercial
fertilizer (CF) into the soil (CFs) were claimed together ([MNFf + CFs]) and comparative nutrient use efficiency (NUE), productivity,
and nutritional properties of tomato fruits were investigated. The
mixed nanofertilizer (MNF) was prepared in our laboratory and characterized
using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier
transform infrared. To avoid the interference of other factors, all
the treatments were divided into three groups: (i) blank treatment
(no fertilizer), (ii) CF treatment, and (iii) combined [MNFf + CFs] treatment. The vegetative growth and qualitative and quantitative
attributes of tomatoes were recorded, and the NUE, total production,
and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) were also calculated. In addition,
comparative nutritional properties for all treatments were analyzed.
The plant’s height, stem diameter, root length, photosynthetic
pigments, leaf minerals, and qualitative traits of tomato fruits were
significantly (p < 0.05) increased by [MNFf + CFs] treatment compared to CFs. The protein, fiber, Fe,
Zn, and K contents were significantly (p < 0.05)
increased by 23.80, 38.10, 44.23, 60.01, and 2.39%, respectively,
with the [MNFf + CFs] treatment as compared to CFs, while
the ash and protein contents were both lower than the untreated tomato.
Moreover, [MNFf + CFs] treatment has significantly (p < 0.05) increased the antioxidant properties. The NUE,
total production, and BCR were also increased by 26.08, 26.04, and
25.38%, respectively, with the same treatment. Thus, [MNFf + CFs] treatment could be a potential alternative for reducing the
excess use of CF.