Nanotechnology: Advancement for Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

Nanotechnology plays a vital role in agriculture for food production, security, and safety. Due to sensing, applicability of nanotechnology include the use of fertilizers to enhance food production, pesticides for pest, and disease management for monitoring soil quality and plant health. To improve the sustainability of agricultural practice, there is incorporation of nanomaterials in it as nanopesticides, nonfertilizer, and nanosensors. To suppress crop disease by requiring less input and generating less waste than conventional products, there is the use of nanoscale nutrients (metals, metal oxides, carbon) for subsequent enhancement of plant growth and yield. Directing this enhanced yield not only reduce growth of pathogens but also increase the nutritional value of the nanoparticles themselves, for the essential micronutrients that are necessary for host defense. We also posit that these positive effects are the greater availability of the nutrients in the ��nano�� form for disease-controlled plant yield. Keeping these points of view, we offer comments on the current regulatory perspective for such applications with the increased demand to agricultural field. This book chapter focused on engineered nanoparticles and naturally occurring nanoparticles for identifying their nanoscale properties in the agriculture fields. � 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.