Songling Chen

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS)-derived bio-based polyurethane coatings typically exhibit poor hydrophobicity and short nutrient release durations, limiting their ability to satisfy long-term crop requirements. This study developed improved controlled-release urea by preparing water-repellent and compact bio-polymer coatings from recyclable SMS using non-toxic siloxane and nano-SiO₂ modifiers through simple processes. The dual modification markedly reduced water absorption (from 6.60% to 4.43%) and porosity (from 6.32% to 3.92%), creating a dense coating with lotus-leaf-like nanoscale surface protrusions and fewer intermembrane pores. As a result, the nitrogen (N) release period of the dual-modified bio-polymer-polyurethane-coated urea (SBPCU) with a 7% coating thickness was extended from 23 days to 42 days. Phytotoxicity assessments confirmed the excellent biosafety of the bio-polymer coating, revealing no adverse effects on maize growth and even promotional effects at low concentrations. This approach offers a sustainable, eco-friendly, and scalable strategy for producing bio-polymer-coated urea from agricultural waste, serving as a viable alternative to petrochemical coatings while improving nutrient use efficiency and biosafety.

Long-term fertilization affects soil nutrient levels and aggregate stability, eventually altering crop yield. However, their responses to organic fertilizer application and straw returning are still unclear, particularly as the contributions of soil nutrient levels and aggregate stability on crop yields remain poorly quantified. Therefore, topsoil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from six fertilization treatments in a long-term (13-year) Shajiang black soil field experiment with no fertilization (CK), chemical fertilization (NPK), 50% NPK plus pig manure (50%NPKP), 50% NPK plus cattle manure (50%NPKC), 70% NPK plus pig manure with straw return (70%NPKPS), and 70% NPK plus cattle manure with straw return (70%NPKCS). We examined the characteristics of crop yield, soil nutrient levels, and soil aggregate stability parameters, including under different long-term fertilization treatments. The results show that long-term fertilization significantly influenced the distribution of soil nutrients and soil aggregates in Shajiang black soil. Compared to CK, organic fertilizers and straw returning significantly increased the soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents but decreased soil pH, respectively, indicating the best strategies for improving soil fertility. Compared to the CK and NPK treatments, long-term organic fertilization and straw returning significantly increased the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) values and significantly decreased the fractal dimension (Dm) and mean weight-specific surface area (MWSSA) values, with the 70%NPKCS treatment showing the most pronounced effect of improving aggregate stability. A redundancy analysis revealed that SOM and TN exert significant effects on aggregate stability. Furthermore, a stepwise regression analysis showed that SOM and TN were positive factors affecting the yields of wheat and maize, while MWD and pH were negative factors affecting wheat yield, demonstrating that high crop yields are derived from soils with limited stability and high fertility. Thus, our findings indicate that the integrated application of cattle manure with straw returning was the most effective strategy to promote soil nutrient accumulation, improve aggregate stability, and enhance crop yield, albeit with the potential risk of soil acidification, which requires management in the Shajiang black soil (Vertisol) region of Northern China.

Environmentally friendly coated urea prepared using a waterborne polymer coating material is essential for promoting green and sustainable practices in modern agriculture. However, significant efforts are still urgently needed to address the undesirable properties of waterborne polymer coatings, i.e., poor hydrophobic properties and numerous micropores. Herein, dual nano-SiO₂ and siloxane-modified waterborne-polymer-coated urea was successfully developed. The characteristics of waterborne-polymer-coated urea before and after modification were compared. The results demonstrate that nano-SiO₂ and siloxane modification improved the hydrophobicity (water absorption decreased from 119.86% to 46.35%) and mechanical strength (tensile strength increased from 21.09 to 31.29 MPa, and the elongation at break exhibited an increase of 22.42%) of the waterborne polymer coatings. Furthermore, the –OH number of the modified coatings was decreased, while the coating surface formed a nano-scale rough structure, prolonging the nitrogen (N)-controlled release period from 7 to 28 days. Overall, the proposed novel dual-modification technique utilizing waterborne polymer coatings highlights the significant potential of eco-friendly coated urea with renewable coatings in modern agriculture.

The development of temperature‐responsive coated urea from sustainable, environmentally friendly bio‐coatings has garnered increasing research attention owing to concerns regarding global food security and environmental sustainability. In this study, naturally derived coated urea with temperature‐responsive behavior (SNCU) was fabricated using castor oil/polycaprolactone (PCL2000) blends and isocyanate, nano‐SiO₂ and siloxane were employed to enhance its hydrophobicity. Nutrient (N)‐release experiments were conducted at various temperatures to explore the temperature‐responsive behavior of the coated urea. The temperature‐response mechanism and composition of the coated urea were investigated using x‐ray diffraction (XRD), x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), simultaneous thermal analysis (DSC), and Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy. Results indicated that PCL2000 incorporation could produce a block polymer with a two‐phase structure consisting of a crystalline and an amorphous phase, and the SNCU exhibited a significant temperature switch at 32.5°C. Moreover, the N‐release SNCU longevity increased to 70 days. Therefore, the findings from this work highlight that temperature‐responsive SNCU, with its higher N availability, could be suitable for agricultural applications in sustainable, green agricultural development.

Nearly 100 million tons of spent mushroom substrates (SMS) are discarded annually in China, which causes a series of environmental pollutants. To improve the nitrogen (N) use efficiency of and to shift dependence away from petroleum‐based products, a novel bio‐based epoxy coated urea was successfully developed. The bio‐based epoxy coating was synthesized from the liquefied SMS and bisphenol‐A diglycidyl ether. Subsequently, both nano‐SiO₂ and organosilicon were employed to modify the bio‐based epoxy and increase its hydrophobicity. Water absorption, ammonium adsorption, and water contact angles of the bio‐based epoxy coatings were investigated. The nutrient release behaviors of the bio‐based epoxy coated urea in water were also investigated and the modification mechanisms were explored by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The results revealed that the hydrophobic ability of the nano‐SiO₂ and organosilicon dual modified bio‐based epoxy coated urea coating was significantly enhanced and that its nutrient release longevity was increased to 56 days. Therefore, this work demonstrated that bio‐based epoxy coated urea with superior release characteristics exhibited great potential in modern agricultural applications.