One-Step Encapsulation of ortho-Disulfides in Functionalized Zinc MOF. Enabling Metal-Organic Frameworks in Agriculture

Emerging concern of nano-pollution in agro-ecosystem: Flip side of nanotechnology

Nanomaterials (NMs) have proven to be a game-changer in agriculture, showcasing their potential to boost plant growth and safeguarding crops. The agricultural sector has widely adopted NMs, benefiting from their small size, high surface area, and optical properties to augment crop productivity and provide protection against various stressors. This is attributed to their unique characteristics, contributing to their widespread use in agriculture. Human exposure from various components of agro-environmental sectors (soil, crops) NMs residues are likely to upsurge with exposure paths may stimulates bioaccumulation in food chain. With the aim to achieve sustainability, nanotechnology (NTs) do exhibit its potentials in various domains of agriculture also have its flip side too. In this review article we have opted a fusion approach using bibliometric based analysis of global research trend followed by a holistic assessment of pros and cons i.e. toxicological aspect too. Moreover, we have also tried to analyse the current scenario of policy associated with the application of NMs in agro-environment.

MOF-based stimuli-responsive controlled release nanopesticide: mini review

By releasing an adequate amount of active ingredients when triggered by environmental and biological factors, the nanopesticides that respond to stimuli can enhance the efficacy of pesticides and contribute to the betterment of both the environment and food safety. The versatile nature and highly porous structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently garnered significant interest as drug carriers for various applications. In recent years, there has been significant progress in the development of metal-organic frameworks as nanocarriers for pesticide applications. This review focuses on the advancements, challenges, and potential future enhancements in the design of metal-organic frameworks as nanocarriers in the field of pesticides. We explore the various stimuli-responsive metal-organic frameworks carriers, particularly focusing on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which have been successfully activated by external stimuli such as pH-responsive or multiple stimuli-responsive mechanisms. In conclusion, this paper presents the existing issues and future prospects of metal-organic frameworks-based nanopesticides with stimuli-responsive controlled release.

Alginate Core-Shell Capsules Production through Coextrusion Methods: Principles and Technologies

This paper provides an overview of coextrusion methods for encapsulation. Encapsulation involves the coating or entrapment of a core material such as food ingredients, enzymes, cells, or bioactives. Encapsulation can help compounds add to other matrices, stabilize compounds during storage, or enable controlled delivery. This review explores the principal l coextrusion methods available that can be used to produce core-shell capsules through the use of coaxial nozzles. Four methods for encapsulation by coextrusion are examined in detail, including dripping, jet cutting, centrifugal, and electrohydrodynamic systems. The targeted capsule size determines the appropriate parameters for each method. Coextrusion technology is a promising encapsulation technique able to generate core-shell capsules in a controlled manner, which can be applied to cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and textile industries. Coextrusion is an excellent way to preserve active molecules and present a significant economic interest.

Multifunctional Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)-Based Nanoplatforms for Crop Protection and Growth Promotion

Phytopathogen, pest, weed, and nutrient deficiency cause severe losses to global crop yields every year. As the core engine, agrochemicals drive the continuous development of modern agriculture to meet the demand for agricultural productivity and increase the environmental burden due to inefficient use. With new advances in nanotechnology, introducing nanomaterials into agriculture to realize agrochemical accurate and targeted delivery has brought new opportunities to support the sustainable development of green agriculture. Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs), which weave metal ions/clusters and organic ligands into porous frameworks, have exhibited significant advantages in constructing biotic/abiotic stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms for controlled agrochemical delivery. This review emphasizes the recent developments of MOF-based nanoplatforms for crop protection, including phytopathogen, pest, and weed control, and crop growth promotion, including fertilizer/plant hormone delivery. Finally, forward-looking perspectives and challenges on MOF-based nanoplatforms for future applications in crop protection and growth promotion are also discussed.

Nano-biofertilizers as bio-emerging strategies for sustainable agriculture development: Potentiality and their limitations

Nanotechnology is a burgeoning revolutionary technology in the 21st century. Climate emergencies caused by natural or anthropogenic activities have tragically consequential repercussions on agricultural output worldwide. Modern cropping systems profoundly rely on synthetic fertilizers to deliver necessary nutrients, yet their prolonged and persistent administration is hazardous to the environment, soil fertility, and nutritional dynamics of the rhizospheric microbiome. By addressing the drawback of physico-chemically synthesized nano-dimensioned fertilizer, this review emphasizes on integrating nanoparticles and biofertilizers conjointly as nano-biofertilizers (NBF) which can safeguard global food security, in light of the population surge. Inoculation with nanoparticles and biofertilizers strengthens plant growth and stress tolerance. However, combined together (NBF), they have emerged as a more economically and environmentally sustainable, highly versatile, and long-lasting agriculture tool. Microbe-based green synthesis using the encapsulation of inorganic nanoparticles of Si, Zn, Cu, Fe, Ni, Ti, and Ag as well as organic materials, including chitosan, cellulose, and starch, to formulate NBFs can eliminate the constraints of conventional fertilizer contamination. The application of NBFs is in its infancy in agriculture, yet it has promising potential for transforming traditional farming techniques into smart agriculture, compared to any of the existing strategies. From this perspective, this review is an attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the formulations, fabrication, and characterization of NBFs while unraveling the underlying mechanisms of plant-NBF interactions along with their contribution to climate change-induced biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. We substantially summarize the latest advancements of field applications of NBFs for precision farming. Moreover, we critically revised their applications in agro-ecosystems according to the current literature, while also discussing the bottlenecks and future trends for developing potent NBFs.

Stability and pKa Modulation of Aminophenoxazinones and Their Disulfide Mimics by Host-Guest Interaction with Cucurbit[7]uril. Direct Applications in Agrochemical Wheat Models

Aqueous solubility and stability often limit the application of aminophenoxazinones and their sulfur mimics as promising agrochemicals in a sustainable agriculture inspired by allelopathy. This paper presents a solution to the problem using host-guest complexation with cucurbiturils (CBn). Computational studies show that CB7 is the most suitably sized homologue due to its strong affinity for guest molecules and its high water solubility. Complex formation has been studied by direct titrations monitored using UV-vis spectroscopy, finding a preferential interaction with protonated aminophenoxazinone species with high binding affinities (CB7·APOH⁺, K_a = (1.85 ± 0.37) × 10⁶ M^-1; CB7·DiS-NH₃⁺, K_a = (3.91 ± 0.53) × 10⁴ M^-1; and DiS-(NH₃⁺)₂, K_a= (1.27 ± 0.42) × 10⁵ M^-1). NMR characterization and stability analysis were also performed and revealed an interesting pK_a modulation and stabilization by cucurbiturils (2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO), pK_a = 2.94 ± 0.30, and CB7·APO, pK_a = 4.12 ± 0.15; 2,2'-disulfanediyldianiline (DiS-NH₂), pK_a = 2.14 ± 0.09, and CB7·DiS-NH₂, pK_a = 3.26 ± 0.09), thus favoring applications in different kinds of crop soils. Kinetic studies have demonstrated the stability of the CB7·APO complex at different pH media for more than 90 min. An in vitro bioassay with etiolated wheat coleoptiles showed that the bioactivity of APO and DiS-NH₂ is enhanced upon complexation.

Zirconium-Based MOFs and Their Biodegradable Polymer Composites for Controlled and Sustainable Delivery of Herbicides

Adsorption and controlled release of agrochemicals has been studied widely using different nanomaterials and a variety of formulations. However, the potential for application of high surface-area metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for the controlled release of agrochemicals has not been thoroughly explored. Herein, we report controlled and sustainable release of a widely used herbicide (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, MCPA) via incorporation in a range of zirconium-based MOFs and their biodegradable polymer composites. Three Zr-based MOFs, viz., UiO-66, UiO-66-NH₂, and UiO-67 were loaded with MCPA either postsynthetically or in situ during synthesis of the MOFs. The MCPA-loaded MOFs were then incorporated into a biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) composite membrane. All three MOFs and their PCL composites were thoroughly characterized using FT-IR, TGA, SEM, PXRD, BET, and mass spectrometry. Release of MCPA from each of these MOFs and their PCL composites was then studied in both distilled water and in ethanol for up to 72 h using HPLC. The best performance for MCPA release was observed for the postsynthetically loaded MOFs, with PS-MCPA@UiO-66-NH₂ showing the highest MCPA concentrations in ethanol and water of 0.056 and 0.037 mg/mL, respectively. Enhanced release of MCPA was observed in distilled water when the MOFs were incorporated in PCL. The concentrations of herbicides in the release studies provide us with a range of inhibitory concentrations that can be utilized depending on the crop, making this class of composite materials a promising new route for future agricultural applications.

Metal-Organic Frameworks in Agriculture

Agrochemicals, which are crucial to meet the world food qualitative and quantitative demand, are compounds used to kill pests (insects, fungi, rodents, or unwanted plants). Regrettably, there are some important issues associated with their widespread and extensive use (e.g., contamination, bioaccumulation, and development of pest resistance); thus, a reduced and more controlled use of agrochemicals and thorough detection in food, water, soil, and fields are necessary. In this regard, the development of new functional materials for the efficient application, detection, and removal of agrochemicals is a priority. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with exceptional sorptive, recognition capabilities, and catalytical properties have very recently shown their potential in agriculture. This Review emphasizes the recent advances in the use of MOFs in agriculture through three main views: environmental remediation, controlled agrochemical release, and detection of agrochemicals.

Recent development in functional nanomaterials for sustainable and smart agricultural chemical technologies

New advances in nanotechnology are driving a wave of technology revolution impacting a broad range of areas in agricultural production. The current work reviews nanopesticides, nano-fabricated fertilizers, and nano activity-based growth promoters reported in the last several years, focusing on mechanisms revealed for preparation and functioning. It appears to us that with many fundamental concepts have been demonstrated over last two decades, new advances in this area continue to expand mainly in three directions, i.e., efficiency improvement, material sustainability and environment-specific stimulation functionalities. It is also evident that environmental and health concerns associated with nano agrochemicals are the primary motivation and focus for most recent work. Challenges and perspectives for future development of nano agrochemicals are also discussed.