EFFECT OF A FERTILIZER MANUFACTURED BY NANO TECHNO- LOGY IN COMPARISON WITH MINERAL FERTILIZATION ON WHEAT M.A. Eweda 1 , Asal M. Wali 1 , O.M. Ibrahim 1 , Gomaa 2 , M.A. and E.E. Kandil 2 1 Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Borg El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt. 2 Plant Production Department, The Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Egypt. Abstract Two field experiments were conducted during 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 winter seasons in calcareous soil at the Experimental Farm of City of Scientific Researches and Technological Applications in Borg Al-Arab, Alexandria, Egypt, to evaluate the effect of nanofertilizer (NPs), mineral fertilizers and their interaction on yield, yield components of wheat in the arid land. The experiment design was split plot system in three replications. Main plots were assigned to foliar application of Nano- fertilizer (control = water, 1 cm 3 /L and 2 cm 3 /L), while the sub-plots were occupied by the soil application of mineral fertilizers (100 % as recommended dose = RD, 75 % RD, 50% RD and 25% RD) in both seasons. The results revealed that NPK NPs and mineral NPK significantly affected yield and its components of wheat, where the highest mean values of most characters and grain yield recorded with the soil application of 100% RD mineral NPK plus foliar application of Nano fertilizer (NPK NPs) at the rate of 2cm 3 /L in both growing seasons under the study conditions. Key words: wheat, grain yield, nano fertilizer, NPs, mineral fertilization, NPK. Introduction Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. It is stable food for more than one third of the world population; it contributes more calories and protein in the world diet than any food crops.. The area devoted to wheat cultivation in Egypt an about 1.3 million ha and the average yield of wheat reached about 6.6 t/ha. (FAO, 2018). The main aim of the Egyptian government in order to face the human needs, is the increase of wheat productivity per unit area in short term, some continuous extension efforts had been done at both horizontal and vertical levels by applying the good agricultural practices (GAP) through determining the best method of application, level and mixture of applicable nutritional elements. Nanotechnology is a new scientific approach that includes the use of materials in nanometer-scale and uses it in various carriers from medicine to agriculture (Fakruddin, et al., 2012). Nanotechnology is developed as the sixth revolutionary technology. It is considered as an emerging field of science widely in many scientific fields and supposed playing the vital role in the field of agriculture (Mousavi and Rezaei, 2011). Plant nutrition is crucial for agriculture production and crop quality and about 40 to 60% of the total world food production depends on the application of fertilizers (Roberts, 2009). Humic acid can replace 25 % of mineral fertilizers and produce insignificant increase in grain yield of wheat under calcareous soil conditions (Asal, et al., 2015). Using nano- fertilizer (NPs) as foliar application at vegetative, flowering or filling stages increased yield and components of faba bean crop (Gomaa et al., 2016). Soil application of mineral fertilizer + foliar application of nano- fertilizer (NPs) gave enhancing yield and its components of maize. Fertilizing maize hybrid S.C. 168 with foliar application of nano- fertilizers (K and P) and soil application of mineral fertilization (K and P); increased both maize yield and its components (Gomaa et al., 2017). Plant height, yield and yield components of wheat were increased by foliar application of nano- fertilizer during both seasons (Kandil and Marie, 2017). Using nano- particles of NPKNPs elements increased yield and its components of two wheat cultivars as compared with NPK mineral fertilization in Plant Archives Volume 20 No. 2, 2020 pp. 8430-8436 e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online), ISSN:0972-5210