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

Abstract

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.

Smart Fertilizers vs. Nano-fertilizers: A Pictorial Overview

“…In brief, nanofertilizer is a kind of smart fertilizers, which has the same benefits of smart fertilizers in delivering nutrients as a tailoring agent or an agro-nanotechnology. Many published articles confirmed the role of agro-nanotechnologies, which have been proposed and substantially examined over the last two decades, with tens of reviews published from various perspectives (Shao et al 2022). These studies included smart fertilizers Env.…”

“…(2) Nanosized fertilizers or nanoscale fertilizer or synthesized nanoparticles, which refer to fertilizers made in nanoscale, and (3) Nano-wrapped fertilizers or nanoscale coating or host materials (product coated with nano-polymer or loaded with nanoparticles, which apply nanomaterial wraps or coatings to contain regular size fertilizers (Calabi-Floody et al 2018;Shao et al 2022).…”

“…There are several sensors, which already have been used in many agro-activities especially the monitoring of soil, water, cultivated plants. Nanotechnology has great applications in many advanced technological areas including information technology (IT), biomedical engineering, smart farming, and food sciences (Shao et al 2022). Using of nanotechnology in smart farming has many benefits, in which many nanosensors could be used for monitoring soil conditions, monitoring plant pathogen and pesticides detection, monitoring plant-specific treatments through robotic, bio-sensors in smart machines for precise weed control, and nanoparticles-based smart delivery system for nutrients, growth regulators, nanopesticides, nano-herbicides (Calabi-Floody et al 2018).…”

“…Using of nanotechnology in smart farming has many benefits, in which many nanosensors could be used for monitoring soil conditions, monitoring plant pathogen and pesticides detection, monitoring plant-specific treatments through robotic, bio-sensors in smart machines for precise weed control, and nanoparticles-based smart delivery system for nutrients, growth regulators, nanopesticides, nano-herbicides (Calabi-Floody et al 2018). For smart agriculture, agrochemicals prepared in different nano-formulations have been applied due to their controlling and stimulation-regulated release rate, enhanced compatibility and increased solubility, time-or location-specific targeting, longterm stability and duration (Shao et al 2022). What is the difference between smart fertilizer and nanofertilizer?…”

Subacute Toxicity Analyses of Green Synthesized Magnetite Nanoparticles on Lemna minor L. (Duckweed) Plant

“…Iron oxide magnetite nanoparticles can function as a plant growth stimulator (Shao et al 2022). Blinova et al ( 2017) revealed that at concentrations ≤ 100 mg L − 1 magnetite nanoparticles with numerous hydrochemical compositions were not toxic to duckweed (L. minor) in waters.…”