Abstract
Agriculture is one of the many fields in which nanotechnology is currently applied. At the nano-scale, materials exhibit different properties mainly due to the reduced molecular size which allows different interactions between molecules. Nowadays, the agricultural sector demands methods that not only increase crop productivity, but are also sustainable and produce less environmental impact. Large-scale application of chemical fertilizers is common in farming with the aim of increasing productivity. The use of large doses of fertilizers, however, causes more harm than good. Chemically intensive agriculture disturbs the soil-mineral balance, pollutes soil, water and air, and makes lands less fertile in the long-term. Metal-based nanofertilizers allow effective and precise nutrient management due to their high reactivity, enhanced bioavailability and bioactivity. This paper presents the results derived from the application of metal-based nanofertilizers in different crops of economic relevance, displaying their importance in sustainable agriculture. The trials showed that the metabolic reactions in the plants are enhanced by providing them with the optimum amount of trace elements, which also improves the rate of photosynthesis, increases productivity, and prevents biotic and abiotic stress.
Highlights
Along with the increase of the population worldwide, the demand of food is increasing year after year, which compels agriculture to be more efficient
The agricultural sector is currently looking for more modern technologies that help to increase productivity and efficiency, but at the same time cause the least environmental impact
Overdose and waste of fertilizer material. Considering all these problems and more, there was the need to develop new fertilization materials that, as indicated by Solanki et al [2], poses improved smart properties which are directed to cover the needs of the plants, can be released systematically and are applied in a small scale. Materials with such properties can be obtained with nanotechnology
Summary
Along with the increase of the population worldwide, the demand of food is increasing year after year, which compels agriculture to be more efficient. In search of increasing crop productivity, agriculture uses intensive fertilization. Using large amounts of fertilizers, does not guarantee better results and such practices are not friendly to the environment. The agricultural sector is currently looking for more modern technologies that help to increase productivity and efficiency, but at the same time cause the least environmental impact. Nano-scale fertilizers allow the optimized application due to the fact that the reduced size of its components allow better absorption by the plants, and at the same time enable a significant reduction in the amount of material that needs to be applied. This article shows the results obtained in different crops in which metal-based nanofertilizers have been applied and their advantages
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