An increasing number of agricultural uses for nanotechnology has also sparked interest in nano-priming of plants. Plant growth and seed production can be stunted by the physiological, psychological, and molecular alterations that are commonly associated with stressor events. Nano-priming is a novel technique for seed priming that enhances plant resilience in improved germination, growth, and yield in unfavorable environmental conditions. Unfavorable impacts of nano-priming upon seed germination, seedling, and plant growth features were detected despite the fact that the usage of nanoparticles increased environmental stress tolerance of these plants. The most crucial aspects of these plants' germination, morphology, and physiology that influence their establishment, development, and production are also addressed, along with the impact of various nanoparticles. Using nanotechnology for agricultural purposes is to make growing crops easier and more efficient. Nanotechnology is a viable method for sustainability boosting agricultural output, which is essential to achieving this objective.
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Nanoparticles display peculiar physicochemical properties because of their out-of-the-ordinary size, surface roughness, chemical composition, stability, shape, and aggregation. (Saleh, 2020). Because nanozymes (nanomaterials that can mimic enzymes with antioxidant activities) may remove ROS, increasing plant stress tolerance, and nanotechnology can be developed into versatile places with extensive applications for plant science, it has tremendous potential as a tool in agriculture. (Lu et al., 2020). Researchers found that by coating plants with cerium oxide nanoparticles, they may improve their resistance to salt, drought, heat, and cold (Liu et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2020). It may be utilized to make nanosensors for initial stress detection in plants, allowing for gradual and targeted administration of agrochemicals. Carbon nanotubes were used to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS), and calcium (Ca2+), nitric oxide (NO), and they served as a vector for delivering genetic material (DNA or RNA) to facilitate genetic modification in non-model plant species (Yuan et al., 2018). In the sections to come, you'll learn about further ways that nanotechnology may be used in farming (Singh et al., 2021, 2022).
The effects of climate change on ecosystem processes lead to an increase in biotic and abiotic stressors. The quality of agricultural production is severely impacted by salinity, making it one of the most significant abiotic pressures (Yadav et al., 2020). Globally, food production is being disrupted by soil salinity, which interferes with physiochemical processes including the processes of photosynthesis capacity for antioxidants, and ion balancing. Excess sodium ion (Na+) decreases the level of and potassium (K+) nitrogen (N) in plant tissues by inhibiting the transporter protein molecules attributable to mineral ion uptake (Talukdar et al., 2020), thereby disrupting the physiological processes (Tang et al., 2015). Because of the ionic and osmotic strains, it places on plants, salinity stunts their development and, in extreme cases, may even kill them (Talukdar et al., 2020).
Nanotechnology, an interdisciplinary field that has shown promising results in several areas, has opened up new possibilities in the agricultural sector to tackle issues related to sustainable agriculture (Rai & Ingle, 2012). Nano-fertilizers, nano-pesticides, and nanosensors are all examples of cutting-edge technologies being developed to improve sustainable agriculture practices in resource- and waste-efficient ways. Using nanoparticles in agriculture and the environment could lessen the environmental toll of crop production without negatively impacting soil quality or biodiversity (Hofmann et al., 2020).
Agriculture and other plant-related disciplines (Haq et al., 2022; Tassadduq et al., 2022) have benefited from nanotechnology's potential for progress. Among the most important parts of every ecosystem is the plants inside it. Therefore, understanding how plants react to nanomaterials (NMs) is crucial to realizing sustainable agriculture's potential. The impact that NMs have on plants rely on their physicochemical and structural features (Holland, 1992). Furthermore, plant impacts may vary amongst plant species. Plant organs undergo changes in morphology and physiology as a result of their interaction with NMs (Oliveira et al., 2023).