Advances in Bionic Approaches for Agriculture and Forestry Development

Abstract

With the development in nanotechnology, nanosensors have emerged to be an innovative and intelligent technology that has several applications in agriculture and forestry sectors. Nanosensors are upcoming cutting edge research track for smart agriculture practices. Nanomaterial usage in agriculture may help in the reduction of cost and efforts in precision farming leading to innovative agriculture systems. In agriculture-related sector, nanosensors can be used to monitor soil conditions, soil health, soil nutrient deficiency, crop growth plant diseases, estimation of agrochemicals in soil, toxicity of chemicals to ensure the health of soil and plant. Irrigation is the most important and labor intense process for the farming in most part of the world because of the lack of proper and advance irrigation and soil system, there is loss of soil and crop health, not only this, further soil moisture and other parameters can be monitored. This nanosensor-based or automated irrigation system has great potential to prevent excess loss of water in drought-affected area and soil degradation and maximize the water efficiency leading to improvement in crop health and soil management. Modern nanosensors combine biology with nanomaterials to be more accurate and rapid when spotting crop losses. It is a new and broader outlook for a better future. Such wireless nanosensors can be used for real-time monitoring of crop and trees health in particular cultivated and natural areas. Likewise, accurate plant disease and insect, pest detection can be monitored, which will help for timely application of accurate fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, and pesticides to protect the crop or plant. Agriculture drones are next-generation solutions in the agricultural sectors that deal with a variety of issues, such as climatic conditions, precision farming, higher productivity, and crop production management. Drone with the image recognition approach nanosensors can identify the defects accurately, such innovation can enable to understand the crop stress, diseases, pest, and even soil defects. Applications of nanosensors in forestry include the uses in forest health protection, forest management wood and paper processing, and chemotaxonomy. The nanotechnology sector has best applied its technology in precision farming by developing nanobionics plants by inserting nanosensors into living plants that can be utilized to communicate as infrared devices and also for sensing objects in the plant's environment. Therefore, nanobionic approach has opened a new vista into plant nanomaterial research. In this review paper, some of nanobionic approaches for agriculture and forestry development have been discussed briefly.