Synthetic fertilizers have supported the global world agriculture and food systems since 20th century, they have contributed significantly to increase soil productivity so as to achieve higher yields and ensure the world food security. However, excessive, and inappropriate use of mineral fertilizers combined with their fast dissolution nature, have shown major issues related to the environment and low nutrients use efficiency. Accordingly, it has become crucial to adopt modern technologies in order to manage nutrients supply for an optimum and effective use by the plants, while protecting the ecosystem from negative impacts. Polymer coating technology for fertilizers has shown the potential to better provide nutrients in a slow/ controlled rate for optimal crop nutrition with minimal environmental issues. In this review, we tried to establish a fundamental understanding of why and how polymer coated fertilizers (PCFs) are developed from the past to the recent trends. Telling the story of designing PCFs, we tried also to shed light on their function mechanisms as affected by many factors, their effects on the soil components, on the crops' response as well as on the environment and economic return. We aimed also in this review to deeply understand the interactions between the physicochemical properties of the polymeric coating, the fertilizer granules, the soil environment, and the crops through multidisciplinary investigation from polymer science, soil science and agronomy perspectives.

中文翻译：

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聚合物包膜缓释/控释颗粒肥料：基础知识和研究趋势

20世纪以来，合成肥料支撑着全球农业和粮食系统，为提高土壤生产力、实现更高产量、确保世界粮食安全做出了巨大贡献。然而，矿物肥料的过度和不适当使用及其快速溶解的特性，已经显示出与环境和养分利用效率低相关的重大问题。因此，采用现代技术来管理养分供应以实现植物的最佳和有效利用，同时保护生态系统免受负面影响变得至关重要。肥料用聚合物涂层技术已显示出以缓慢/受控的速度更好地提供养分的潜力，以实现最佳作物营养，同时将环境问题降至最低。在这篇综述中，我们试图对聚合物包膜肥料（PCF）从过去到最近的趋势发展的原因和方式有一个基本的了解。在讲述PCF设计的故事的同时，我们还试图阐明它们受多种因素影响的功能机制，它们对土壤成分、作物反应以及环境和经济回报的影响。我们在这篇综述中的目的还在于，通过从聚合物科学、土壤科学和农学角度进行多学科研究，深入了解聚合物涂层的理化性质、肥料颗粒、土壤环境和作物之间的相互作用。