Abstract
Cultivation of horticulture crops plays an important role in the fulfillment of our daily requirement of the recommended nutritional demand. Hence, it is essential to develop crops using eco-friendly, safe and chemical-free farming techniques. The mounting demand for food has led to extensive advances in the field of sustainable crop management and integrated pest management. For sustainable agriculture, the application of biological techniques to avert the use of chemical products has led to the investigation of bio polymers-based materials. Chitosan, a naturally occurring biopolymer, acts as an ideal capping and stabilizing agent for the formation of nanocomposites of metals and organic compounds. Chitosan and chitosan-based nanoparticles have shown promising results in horticultural crops as fertilizers, soil conditioning agents, plant disease control and insecticidal agents, ripening retardants, and seed and fruit coatings. Moreover, there are reports state that chitosan regulates many genes in plants, stimulating certain pathways responsible for plant defense. Presently, chitosan-based nanoparticles have applications in plant nourishment with great efficacy, which works in synergy with the soils' ecosystem. Chitosan-based agro-nanochemicals have also been revealed to induce defense systems in preharvest and postharvest vegetables and fruits against viruses and pathogenic bacteria, insects, nematodes, fungi and abiotic stresses. Additionally, chitosan nanoparticles have coating ability, which enhances the biophysical properties of postharvest crops and improves their longevity. Based on such encouraging properties, chitosan-based nanoparticles provide multiple advantages and open up unattained prospective future avenues in horticultural systems. This review focuses on the past, present and future perspectives, along with the roles and functions of chitosan and chitosan-based nanoparticles in horticultural crops for enhancing the quality, productivity and yield, which is beneficial for eventual improvement programs.
Published Version
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