For plants that do not absorb most of the fertilizers supplied to them through soil, scientists have come up with a novel food made of glass which, according to a report, promises to increase their yield by giving optimum nutrition. The new micro nutrient glass, developed by scientists at the Central Glass & Ceramic Research Inst, in Calcutta, India, has been tested on oil seeds and pulses with remarkable success rates. A team of 4 scientists led by Nisha Biswas of the Special Glass Unit, enriched glass frits with silicate and phosphate micro nutrients at a temp of 1300 deg C, to produce the special glass. "The glass food is meant for plants having low solutility in both acidic and basic medium," said a member of the team. Studies on solubility of glass frits in the phosphate, borophosphate and borosilicate systems prepared at the institute showed satisfactory results.
