Abstract
At the global level, sustainable horticulture faces many challenges due to climate changes in addition to limitations in water and land resources. Nanotechnology is an innovate strategy for sustainable agricultural development. This eco-friendly technology is becoming vital in modern agricultural practices, due to its role in improving plants production, protection with environmental security, biological supportability and financial steadiness. Production of nano-fertilizers is considered as the most important alternative to the conventional fertilizers and pesticides, due to their potential roles in crop production, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and mitigating the adverse impacts in soil. The aims of the current study were to highlight nanotechnology in terms of several important definitions including; nano-fertilization, biosynthesis of nano-fertilizers and the use of nanomaterial as an alternative to the traditional mineral fertilizers. This is in addition to the control of nutrient release in the soil, nanoparticles (NPs) role in enhancing the bio-agent activity, and the fate of nanomaterials in plants with respect to the toxicological data of any nano-product.
Highlights
Nanoparticles (NPs) is a molecular aggregates with a minute dimension ranging from 1-100 nm, which modifies their physico-chemical properties compared to the bulk materials (Tarafdar et al, 2014)
Focusing on nano-fertilizers, a previous study of Dimkpa and Bindraban, (2016) reported that some beneficial nutrients are delivered to the plants at the nano-scale level, for supporting the plant growth and improving its productivity
Application of nano-fertilizers diminishes the rate of losing fertilizer supplements; this will decrease the use of the chemical fertilizers, and so minimize the soil contamination
Summary
Nanoparticles (NPs) is a molecular aggregates with a minute dimension ranging from 1-100 nm, which modifies their physico-chemical properties compared to the bulk materials (Tarafdar et al, 2014). Guru et al, (2015) revealed the common features of nano-fertilizers including; (1) delivering the appropriate nutrients for enhancing the plant growth through foliar and soil applications, (2) eco-friendly sources of plant nutrients and of low cost, (3) have high efficiency of fertilization process, (4) have a supplementary role with mineral fertilizers, and (5) protect the environment from pollution hazards. These nano-fertilizers help us to eliminate the contamination of drinking water and could be considered as emerging alternatives of the conventional fertilizers. An emphasis is given on the recent researches that discussed NPs-plant interactions, fate and biosafety of nanomaterials in plants
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
