Prof. Dr. Fawzi Mohsen Ali

Fertilizers are generally known as natural materials (organic or inorganic) or synthetic, added to the soil or directly to the plant in order to provide it with one or more nutrients necessary for its growth. The philosophy of addition differs, the addition is either to increase the fertility of the soil or to compensate for the lack of nutrients ready for absorption by the roots of the plant. Or it may be to maintain the level of fertilizer that already exists or to have a good balance between the different nutrients, especially the major ones.

The great progress in the fertilizer industry contributed greatly to increasing production and yield. When analysing the factors of this increase, we find that 60% of this increase is mainly due to the use of various types of fertilizers in a scientific and correct manner.

The fertilizers and agricultural fertilizers industry at the global level witnessed rapid and successive developments. This is in order to innovate and produce highly effective fertilizers that supply nutrients in an adequate and balanced manner, and then improve the quality of production, both quantitatively and qualitatively, while achieving environmental safety.

Sugar alcohol fertilizers are fertilizers resulting from the interaction of sugar alcohols such as sorritol and mannitol with various nutrients to produce a new generation of promising foliar fertilizers. Sugar alcohols were discovered in 1996 loaded with boron and other micronutrients found in the bark of the plant. From here began the idea of ??a unique advanced technology for nutrients in general and micro-nutrients in particular, which can be used in foliar nutrition, which depends on alcoholic sugars as chelators of various nutrients such as (K, Ca, Mn, Mg, iron, copper, boron, etc.). It is one of the best fertilizers used in foliar fertilization because of its excellent qualities:

1.    Able to transfer the nutrients easily from the source to the working area inside the plant.

2.    It is quickly absorbed by the shoots and treats the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies.

3.    Its ability to wet the surfaces of plant leaves.

4.    Compounds with high solubility are easy to apply and use.

5.    It can be mixed with pesticides and with most fertilizer compounds.

6.    Pure compounds free of heavy elements such as nickel, cadmium and lead.

7.    It needs little energy to form complexes with nutrients due to its small size and low molecular weight.

8.    It prevents the formation of burnt spots on the surfaces of the leaves resulting from the increase in the concentration of the element.

9.    High stability in pH standard solutions.

10. Natural nutrients that cover the entire area of ??the leaf and increase the time required for absorption, which increases the efficiency of the element's absorption.

11. Sugar alcohol fertilizers prevent the activity of most types of pathogenic bacteria that may infect agricultural crops and this is a unique feature of sugar alcohol fertilizers.

There are studies that have proven the quality and efficiency of these fertilizers in the processing of plant nutrients, especially in critical conditions that need quick treatment for cases of element deficiency.