Chapter 9 - Advances of nanotechnology in plant development and crop protection

Abstract

Global farming systems face several unparalleled challenges during the period of climate change. Advanced nanoengineering is a valuable instrument to encourage crop production and ensure sustainability in order to achieve food protection. The aid provided by nanotechnology to plant defense products has grown exponentially, thereby ensuring an improvement in crop production. Therefore the key issue in agricultural development is allowing the rapid adaptation of plants to progressive climatic change factors including severe temperatures, water scarcity, salinity, and alkalinity without disrupting already-fragile habitats with the use of toxic metals. Nanotechnology helps by increasing plant growth and associated losses to improve agricultural productivity. Combining pesticides with fertilizers a wider geographic area include nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are also known to be special agrochemicals providers to regulate site-based nutrient supply with improved security through nanomaterials. The application of fertilizers plays a key role in increasing farm production; however, excessive use of fertilizer irreversibly modifies the soil chemical ecology and thus reduces the area available for crops. Sustainable agriculture requires a reduction in the use of agrochemicals, which can protect the environment and avoid the extinction of different organisms. Thanks to their direct and ingenious use, nanotools, including nanobiosensors, facilitate the production and monitoring of high-tech farming inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides). Integrating biology and nanotechnology in nonsensor goods has significantly improved their vision and recognition potentials. In this current paper, we summarized recent attempts at using groundbreaking nanotechnologies in agriculture to help meet the growing need for healthy food and climate.