Application of Nanoparticles in Agriculture as Fertilizers and Pesticides: Challenges and Opportunities

Physiological and Molecular Investigation of Urea Uptake Dynamics in Cucumis sativus L. Plants Fertilized With Urea-Doped Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles

“…The quest for more sustainable approaches to meet the challenges of a growing world population is forcing agriculture toward the development of innovative fertilization practices ( Tilman et al, 2011 ; Kagan, 2016 ). In this regard, an attractive solution might be represented by the application of agrochemicals based on nanomaterials, which can feature higher effectivity, lower ecological risks, and lower costs as compared to their traditional counterparts ( Ullah et al, 2020 ). Previous studies have already demonstrated the suitability of nanoparticles based on amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanoparticles as carriers of macronutrients (e.g., urea).…”

“…Nanotechnology offers the possibility of creating nanoparticles characterized by smaller size (typically below 100 nm) with respect to bulk materials, and by both high surface area and high reactivity ( Ullah et al, 2020 ). These characteristics open a wide range of opportunities for the development of nanofertilizers featuring higher effectivity, lower ecological risks, and lower economics costs, as compared to their traditional counterparts ( Ullah et al, 2020 ). Interestingly, the use of nanomaterials as carriers will allow tuning the release of the fertilizers in a controlled manner.…”

Application of nanotechnology in agriculture, postharvest loss reduction and food processing: food security implication and challenges

“…The new concepts such as nanotechnology can offer advantages to pesticides, like reducing toxicity, improving the shelf-life, and increasing the solubility of poorly water-soluble pesticides, all of which could have positive environmental impacts (Mali et al, 2020;Worrall et al, 2018). The significance of agricultural nanotechnology, mainly for controlling diseases and safety has been reported elsewhere (Gogos et al, 2012;Rehmanullah et al, 2020;Sastry et al, 2010). Nano-based conventional herbicides and pesticides assist in the slow and continued supply of nutrients and agricultural chemicals in a controlled amount to the plants (Duhan et al, 2017).…”

“…Most of the productivity of agricultural practices is heavily dependent on fertilizer use. Studies show that crop production is linearly determined by exhaustive application of fertilizers to increase soil fertility (Rehmanullah et al, 2020). The use of nano fertilizer is crucial to enhance crop production.…”

Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Chemistry and Remediation of Polluted Soil

“…Such efforts ensure the improvement in the usage and efficiency of agrochemicals thus also protects the non-target organisms (El-Ghamry et al, 2018;Petosa et al, 2017). Application of NPs in biofertilizers (Rehmanullah et al, 2020), micronutrient (Monreal et al, 2016), assessment of toxic chemicals in agriculture produce (Chhipa, 2019;Ditta, 2012;Rai and Ingle, 2012;Usman et al, 2020) and nano-sensors (Birthal, 2013;Kaushal and Wani, 2017) are also advancement in the application of NPs in agriculture. Nanotechnology has done incredible efforts towards two basic aspects of agriculture that are key factors ensuring food security are: (a) improving the yield, and (b) efficient utilization of resources.…”