Revolutionizing agriculture with nanotechnology: Innovative approaches in fungal disease management and plant health monitoring

Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative force in modern agriculture, offering innovative solutions to address challenges related to fungal plant diseases and overall agricultural productivity. Specifically, the antifungal activities of metal, metal oxide, bio-nanoparticles, and polymer nanoparticles were examined, highlighting their unique mechanisms of action against fungal pathogens. Nanoparticles can be used as carriers for fungicides, offering advantages in controlled release, targeted delivery, and reduced environmental toxicity. Nano-pesticides and nano-fertilizers can enhance nutrient uptake, plant health, and disease resistance were explored. The development of nanosensors, especially those utilizing quantum dots and plasmonic nanoparticles, promises early and accurate detection of fungal pathogens, a crucial step in timely disease management. However, concerns about their potential toxic effects on non-target organisms, environmental impacts, and regulatory hurdles underscore the importance of rigorous research and impact assessments. The review concludes by emphasizing the significant prospects of nanotechnology in reshaping the future of agriculture but advocates for a balanced approach that prioritizes safety, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.

Copper-based nanomaterials: Opportunities for sustainable agriculture

The exponential growth of the global population has resulted in a significant surge in the demand for food worldwide. Additionally, the impact of climate change has exacerbated crop losses caused by pests and pathogens. The transportation and utilization of traditional agrochemicals in the soil are highly inefficient, resulting in significant environmental losses and causing severe pollution of both the soil and aquatic ecosystems. Nanotechnology is an emerging field with significant potential for market applications. Among metal-based nanomaterials, copper-based nanomaterials have demonstrated remarkable potential in agriculture, which are anticipated to offer a promising alternative approach for enhancing crop yields and managing diseases, among other benefits. This review firstly performed co-occurrence and clustering analyses of previous studies on copper-based nanomaterials used in agriculture. Then a comprehensive review of the applications of copper-based nanomaterials in agricultural production was summarized. These applications primarily involved in nano-fertilizers, nano-regulators, nano-stimulants, and nano-pesticides for enhancing crop yields, improving crop resistance, promoting crop seed germination, and controlling crop diseases. Besides, the paper concluded the potential impact of copper-based nanomaterials on the soil micro-environment, including soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial communities. Additionally, the potential mechanisms were proposed underlying the interactions between copper-based nanomaterials, pathogenic microorganisms, and crops. Furthermore, the review summarized the factors affecting the application of copper-based nanomaterials, and highlighted the advantages and limitations of employing copper-based nanomaterials in agriculture. Finally, insights into the future research directions of nano-agriculture were put forward. The purpose of this review is to encourage more researches and applications of copper-based nanomaterials in agriculture, offering a novel and sustainable strategy for agricultural development.

Nanotechnology, a frontier in agricultural science, a novel approach in abiotic stress management and convergence with new age medicine-A review

Climate change imposes various environmental stresses which substantially impact plant growth and productivity. Salinity, drought, temperature extremes, heavy metals, and nutritional imbalances are among several abiotic stresses contributing to high yield losses of crops in various parts of the world, resulting in food insecurity. Many interesting strategies are being researched in the attempt to improve plants' environmental stress tolerance. These include the application of nanoparticles, which have been found to improve plant function under stress situations. Nanotechnology will be a key driver in the upcoming agri-tech and pharmaceutical revolution, which promises a more sustainable, efficient, and resilient agricultural and medical system Nano-fertilizers can help plants utilise nutrients more efficiently by releasing nutrients slowly and sustainably. Plant physiology and nanomaterial features (such as size, shape, and charge) are important aspects influencing the impact on plant growth. Here, we discussed the most promising new opportunities and methodologies for using nanotechnology to increase the efficiency of critical inputs for crop agriculture, as well as to better manage biotic and abiotic stress. Potential development and implementation challenges are highlighted, emphasising the importance of designing suggested nanotechnologies using a systems approach. Finally, the strengths, flaws, possibilities, and risks of nanotechnology are assessed and analysed in order to present a comprehensive and clear picture of the nanotechnology potentials, as well as future paths for nano-based agri-food applications towards sustainability. Future research directions have been established in order to support research towards the long-term development of nano-enabled agriculture and evolution of pharmaceutical industry.

Recent trends and perspectives in the application of metal and metal oxide nanomaterials for sustainable agriculture

Sustainable ecosystem management leads to the use of eco-friendly agricultural techniques for crop production. One of them is the use of metal and metal oxide nanomaterials and nanoparticles, which have proven to be a valuable option for the improvement of agricultural food systems. Moreover, the biological synthesis of these nanoparticles, from plants, bacteria, and fungi, also contributes to their eco-friendly and sustainable characteristics. Nanoparticles, which vary in size from 1 to 100 nm have a variety of mechanisms that are safer and more efficient than conventional fertilizers. Their usage as fertilizers and insecticides in agriculture is gaining favor in the scientific community to maximize crop output. More studies in this field will increase our understanding of this new technology and its broad acceptance in terms of performance, affordability, and environmental protection, as certain nanoparticles may outperform conventional fertilizers and insecticides. Accordingly, to the information gathered in this review, nanoparticles show remarkable potential for enhancing crop production, improving soil quality, and protecting the environment, however, metal and metal oxide NPs are not widely employed in agriculture. Many features of nanoparticles are yet left over, and it is necessary to uncover them. In this sense, this review article provides an overview of various types of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles used in agriculture, their characterization and synthesis, the recent research on them, and their possible application for the improvement of crop productivity in a sustainable manner.

Method for quantitative extraction of copper hydroxide nanoparticles from farmland soil

With the development of nanotechnology, nano-pesticides have been developed and show better application effects than traditional pesticides, which have a good development prospect. Copper hydroxide nanoparticles (Cu(OH)₂ NPs) are one of the specific fungicides. However, there is still no reliable method to evaluate their environmental processes, which is essential for the broad application of new pesticides. Since soil is a vital link between pesticides and crops, this study took linear and slightly soluble Cu(OH)₂ NPs as the research object and established a method to quantitatively extract Cu(OH)₂ NPs from the soil. Five essential parameters in the extraction process were optimized first, and then the extraction effect of this optimal method was further tested under different nanoparticles and soil conditions. The optimal extraction method was determined, including (i) Dispersant: 0.2 % carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with a molecular weight of 250,000; (ii) Mixing conditions of soil and dispersant: water bath shaking for 30 min, water bath ultrasonication for 10 min (energy of the ultrasonication = 6 kJ/ml); (iii) Phase separation conditions: settlement for 60 min; (iv) Solid-to-liquid ratio: 1:20; (v) 1 extraction cycle. After optimization, 81.5 % of the supernatant was Cu(OH)₂ NPs, and 2.6 % was dissolved copper ions (Cu²⁺). This method showed good applicability to different concentrations of Cu(OH)₂ NPs and different farmland soils. It also showed significant differences in the extraction rates of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), Cu²⁺, and other copper sources. The addition of a small amount of silica was confirmed to improve the extraction rate of Cu(OH)₂ NPs. The establishment of this method lays the foundation for the quantitative analysis of nano-pesticides and other non-spherical and slightly soluble nanoparticles.

The nexus between biofuels and pesticides in agroforestry: Pathways toward United Nations sustainable development goals

The growth of global population continuously increases the demands for agroforestry-derived products, underpinning a sustainable growth of energy matrix in the sectors of food security, transportation, and industrial is momentous. The high demand for the sustainable energy sources has led to an increase in the application of pesticides associated with growing crops for the production of biofuel. In 2019, the global consumption of pesticides was 4.2 million tonnes. Case studies on life cycle assessment (LCA) of pesticides showed that toxicity is the major severe impact of pesticide usage, contributing to human toxicity (∼70%) and freshwater eco-toxicity (>50%). This alarming situation needs a solution as conventional pesticides pose various negative impacts to human and the environment, rendering the biofuel production process unsustainable. In this review, we focus on the interaction between pesticide use, biofuel production, food security for a sustainable balancing in between government benefits, environmental, and human health, aiming to track the implications and impact to the global efforts towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even though, there are strict government regulations and legislations pertaining to pesticide use, and policies devised as guidelines for agroforestry sectors to implement and monitor these measures, the discrepancies still exist in between national and supranational entities. To cater the above issue, many efforts have been made to upscale the biofuel production, for example, the United States, Brazil, China and Indonesia have ventured into biofuels production from non-food-crops based feedstock while other developing nations are rapidly catching up. In this perspective, a sustainable nexus between Biofuels-Pesticides-Agroforestry (BPA) is essential to create a sustainable roadmap toward the UN SDGs, to fulfilling the energy, food, and land security. The contribution of technologies in BPA includes genetic modified crops, integrated pest and weed management with controlled release pesticides, use of nano-biopesticides is being reviewed. As a whole, the concept of biofuel processing complex (BPC) and farmers upskilling, together with the effective implementation of efficient policies and Internet of Things (IoT) would be the key to drive the BPA nexus towards fulfilment of SDGs.

Engineered Zn-based nano-pesticides as an opportunity for treatment of phytopathogens in agriculture

People's desire for food has never slowed, despite the deterioration of the global agricultural environment and the threat to food security. People rely on agrochemicals to ensure normal crop growth and to relieve the existing demand pressure. Phytopathogens have acquired resistance to traditional pesticides as a result of pesticdes' abuse. Compared with traditional formulations, nano-pesticides have superior antimicrobial performance and are environmentally friendly. Zn-based nanoparticles (NPs) have shown their potential as strong antipathogen activity. However, their full potential has not been demonstrated yet. Here, we analyzed the prerequisites for the use of Zn-based NPs as nano-pesticides in agriculture including both intrinsic properties of the materials and environmental conditions. We also summarized the mechanisms of Zn-based NPs against phytopathogens including direct and indirect strategies to alleviate plant disease stress. Finally, the current challenges and future directions are highlighted to advance our understanding of this field and guide future studies.

Zinc, zinc nanoparticles and plants

Zinc belongs to the mineral elements, the so-called micronutrients, which are essential for all types of plants. Embedding itself into the enzymes associated with proteosynthesis and energy processes, zinc is necessary for maintaining the integrity of biomembranes and also plays an important role in the development of seeds and generative organs. This review focuses on summarising the findings on the interaction of zinc and plants and translates into the knowledge of the effect of zinc nanoparticles on plants. The findings include an overview of both positive and negative effects on plants. In conclusion there is a great interest in nano-zinc as improving the knowledge about individual forms of zinc and their uptake and assimilation within higher plants may be the first step towards a wider involvement of zinc nanoparticles into agriculture.