Applications of nanomaterials in agricultural production and crop protection: A review

Chapter 14 - Nanotoxicity to terrestrial ecosystem

Nanotechnology: The coming revolution and its implications for consumers, clinicians, and informatics

Changes in agricultural production methods have been associated with environmental pressure and a loss of natural habitats. This paper explores the extent to which farmer participation in off-farm work (an increasing phenomenon in most developed countries) changes the intensity of agricultural input use focusing, in particular, on fertilizer and crop protection product use. A sample selection model that accounts for both unobserved heterogeneity between farms and the potential simultaneity between farm operations and hours worked off-farm is estimated for 2,419 farms in England and Wales. The econometric evidence indicates that the input intensity of products which have well-established links to environmental damage can increase as well as decrease. The results suggest that that fertilizer intensity may decline as off-farm labor increases while the use of crop protection per hectare increases as off-farm work increases.

Chapter 5 - Mechanisms Involved in Stimulatory and Toxicity Effects of Nanomaterials on Seed Germination and Early Seedling Growth

Goal. Study of the stages of development of scientific research on the agricultural crop protection from pests at the Institute of Plant Protection of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. Methods. Analysis of archival data on the establishment of the modern Institute of Plant Protection of NAAS, articles devoted to the activities of the institution and the Ukrainian Entomological Society, scientific works of entomologists. Results. At all stages of its history, the Institute of Plant Protection of NAAS carried out numerous entomological studies, which made it possible to successfully solve important problems related to the development of effective measures to protect agricultural crops from pests. An important role in this regard was played by Problematic Laboratories for the Study of the Sugar-Beet Weevil, the Eurygaster Bug, the Colorado Potato Beetle. The system of measures against wireworms (larvae of Elateridae) has been improved. Much has been done in terms of the development of protective measures against pests of forest and garden plantations from pests. The problems of the toxicology of insecticides and acaricides and the resistance of plants to pests have been studied and are currently being studied. The achievements of the institution’s entomologists in the following areas are also enormous: biological plant protection, forecasting the development of pests, plant protection in the zone of the Chornobyl AES, scientific support for plant quarantine. Scientific entomological schools were formed. Significant achievements of entomological scientists of the Institute of Plant Protection of NAAS were recognized with state awards of Ukraine. Conclusions. Wide implementation of the scientific achievements of entomologists of the Institute of Plant Protection of the NAAS of Ukraine will make it possible to successfully solve a wide range of issues related to the protection of agricultural crops, forest and ornamental plantations from pests. This will contribute to the stable development of the country’s agro-industrial complex, keeping the environment clean and, at the same time, improving the well-being of the population.

Over the current years, there seems to be an investigation into various nanomaterials for their use in biomedical diagnostics thereby providing a fast-evolving field in healthcare biosensing for its use. The birth of nanomaterials has delivered versatility to the sensing or biosensing platforms that even might permit movement during various detecting mechanisms. The prospect of a mixture of multiple nanomaterials has allowed its exploitation due to the synergistic novel and additive properties for developing the sensor platform. Moreover, there seems to be a great interest in using them for biosensors, especially for their application in biomedical areas. Thus, the combination of various nanostructure materials has given rise to biosensors connected with its biomedical applications, such as cancer biomarkers detection such as cytokeratin fragment-21-1 (Cyfra-21-1), interleukin (IL-8); Vitamin D3 biomarker detection, and so on. These biosensors provide several benefits in various aspects that are suitable for their use in biomedical fields, offering flexible devices, permitting biomedical investigation with high sensitivity, outstanding selectivity, and rapidness. This chapter provides the details of nano-biosensors, published in recent years for the detection of Vitamin D3 and cancer biomarkers that would give the understanding of the prospects of biosensors. Besides, this chapter also highlights the use of carbon quantum dots for its application in bioimaging. Thus, the most recent advancements described in this chapter grasp a remarkable potential for its nanomaterials application in early detection and bioimaging applications.

Chapter 14 - Prospects of hybrid nanomaterials in plant growth promotion

Chapter 9 - Protection and hazard controls for exposure reduction measurements

Fascicule 4 : nuisances

Chapter 7 - Nanotechnology in food safety

18 - Regulatory affairs, commercialization, and economic aspects of nanomaterials used for agriculture

Policy Note: "Addressing Trade-offs to Promote Safely Managed Wastewater in Developing Countries"

The problem of the steady food supply to the population is becoming particularly pressing in the face of a projected decrease in the specific area of agricultural land per resident. In an effort to increase crop yields, agriculture depends mainly on chemical plant protection agents (PPAs), which produce strong negative effects. The research activities need to be concentrated on developing the alternative plant protection technologies that will ensure a sufficient crop yield increase. Based on statistical data of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and studies and analytical reviews on protection of agricultural crops, the present work describes current market trends in the global crop protection industry: the volume and dynamics of the global PPA market, the regional distribution of this market, and the consolidation of key producers. Recent years have seen a decrease in the number of new chemical PPAs entering the market due to the greater research effort devoted to novel crop protection technologies, in particular genetically modified crops (GM crops), biological PPAs, and other alternative technologies, which are being developed and put on the market in response to increasingly stringent regulations in agrochemistry and ecology. Recommendations are made to producers of agrochemicals that will allow them to remain competitive and contribute to satisfaction of the growing demand for agricultural products

Global resistance to antimicrobials and their sustainable use in agriculture

Following the obligatory implementation of integrated pest management in the European Union (EU), the plant protection means suitable for application in organic agriculture attracted the attention of quite a wide group of potential users. In spite of the common rules of organic production, as well as the uniform principles of placing plant protection products on the market, the availability of products that can be legally used in organic crop protection differs significantly among the Member States. There is a uniform list of 10 basic substances that can be used in the protection of organic crops throughout the entire EU. Twelve Member States have official registers of plant protection products for use in organic agriculture, and the total number of qualified products per country varies from 11 in Lithuania to 576 in Italy. Some products that improve plant vigour or resistance and may be of use in protection of organic crops are placed on the market as biostimulants. They fall under the law that governs fertilisers and the systems of their registration vary widely among the Member States. In addition, there exist a number of products that have been legally introduced onto the markets of some Member States without registration as a consequence of a loophole in the law. The use of unregistered products in organic agriculture raises some doubts, but currently it seems that there is no legal basis on which to explicitly prohibit the practice. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.