Enhancing drought resilience and sustainability in <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L cultivation: Synergistic effects of nano-fertilizer and hydrogels

Drought has a significant impact on agricultural practices in arid and semi-arid regions, reducing the quality of soil and impairing crop productivity. Innovative strategies are required to improve soil health and utilize optimum resources to overcome this situation. Despite improvements in fertilizer technology, there remains an essential research gap in understanding the synergistic effects of nano-fertilizers and hydrogels in mitigating water scarcity and enhancing nutrient efficiency. The present study explored the ability of Nano DAP fertilizer and hydrogels to improve soil parameters and the productivity of Solanum lycopersicum L (tomato) under drought conditions of Ananthapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh for two consecutive years (2022-2024). Five amendment combinations were analyzed: a control, traditional DAP fertilizer, DAP with hydrogel, Nano DAP, and a combination of Nano DAP and hydrogel. Of all these treatments, Nano DAP with hydrogel has shown significant improvement (p<0.05), an enhanced water-holding capacity (78±0.85 & 79±1.22%), and a reduction in bulk density (1.18±0.051 & 1.15±0.03g/cc). Moreover, the treatment also improved the soil nitrogen by 199±15.92 & 220±29.1 kg/ha and organic carbon content (0.25±0.017 & 0.026±0.013%, p<0.05) respectively. The treatment also enhanced soil microbial activity, further improving micronutrient availability. The key findings display the potential of combining Nano DAP, hydrogel, and DAP with hydrogel as a sustainable approach to mitigate drought impacts, enhance soil properties, and improve agricultural productivity. The study emphasizes the need to further investigate nano-fertilizer and hydrogel technologies as scalable solutions for resilient and sustainable agriculture in drought-prone regions.