Chapter 3 - Green nanotechnology: a paradigm, panacea and new perspective for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Green chemistry is considered as a significant device for achieving sustainability which includes the synthesis of chemical products with less or remediates the toxicity of hazardous substances. Green nanotechnology affords solutions to several global challenges. Green nanotechnology is being considered as an imperative tool in achieving sustainability in agriculture, food industries, and animal feed. In green nanotechnology, nanomaterials (NMs) are synthesized via biological methods and have numerous applications in the sustainable agriculture sector and allied sectors. Different tissues of plants such as leaf, stem, bark, seed, root, fruits, and flower have been used for nanoparticles (NPs) biosynthesis. A variety of NMs are being used to sustain the agricultural sectors. Since the potential of this newly emerged field of medicine and research is beyond the scope of this book chapter, we will be focusing on a brief overview of green nanotechnology and the research efforts on its potential applications in sustainable agriculture and allied sectors. Various engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have different impacts, mechanisms, and behaviors on plants. Therefore, this book chapter also comprehensively reviews various ENM’s uptake, translocation, interactions mechanisms, and their phytotoxicity in plant species in order to develop systems for sustainable agriculture is provided in this chapter. The advantage and importance offered by NMs utilization are highlighted in this chapter, in concert with the main technological confronts prospect implementation of the systems for sustainable agriculture.