Effects of silicon-based nanofertilizer combined with conventional fertilization on soybean performance and soil fertility in arid environment
Nano-nutrition emerged as an important technique for maintaining agricultural production and ecosystem services in challenging arid environments. This experiment was conducted at the Agriculture Experimental farm of Tashkent State Agrarian University during 2024–2025 seasons with the aim to study the effect of nano treatment (NT) in combinations with conventional fertilizers on soybean growth, yield, and resource efficiency. A split-plot design with three replications was used in this experiment, while the main plot was various rates of conventional chemical fertilization (N 0 Р 0 К 0 , N 0 Р 90 К 60 , N 30 Р 90 К 60 , and N 60 Р 90 К 60 ) and the subplot was NT. Results showed that soybean growth, leaf area, seed weight and grain yield characteristics significantly increased with the increase rate of the applied chemical fertilizers and NT exerted additive effects. The highest increase of soybean yield was achieved at the combined use of N 30 Р 90 К 60 with NT leading to significant increases in soybean biomass (16.3%), pod (25.8%) and grain yield (29.3%), seed output (2.6%), and HI (8.8%) compared to the respective control, indicating good compatibility. Similarly, these targeted interventions significantly improved soil nutrient availability and stimulated the activity of beneficial bacterial populations, indicating a practical strategy for reducing excessive chemical fertilizer inputs in crop production. Overall, improving nutrient delivery mechanisms by NT can alleviate constraints associated with nutrient deficiency and soil nutrient depletion, thus maintaining trade-offs between agricultural productivity and ecosystem preservation.