Emerging Role of Nanocarriers in Delivery of Nitric Oxide for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

The endogenously found free radical nitric oxide (NO) has important roles in several aspects related to plant defense and growth. NO is a signaling messenger in animals and plants due to its particular chemistry, as uncharged and small molecule, relatively lipophilic. In recent year, important papers have been describing the advantages of using NO donors in agriculture. Indeed, administration of NO donors to plants is reported to stimulate plant greening and germination, control iron homeostasis, and improve plant tolerance to metal toxicity, salinity, drought stress, and high temperatures. Low molecular weight NO donors are known to be thermally and photochemically unstable, impairing their applications in agriculture. In this context, the combination of NO donors with nanomaterials has been emerging as a promising approach to optimize the beneficial effects of NO in plants. In spite that nanomaterials have been employed to carry agrochemicals in plants, the combination of NO donors and nanomaterials is yet not deeper explored in agriculture. In this scenario, this chapter highlights the advantages of applications of NO donors in plants, the uses of nanotechnology in agriculture, and the necessity to develop new strategies based on the combination of NO and nanomaterials in agriculture.