Unlocking the potentials of using nanotechnology to stabilize agriculture and food production

• Main Authors: Sivarethinamohan, R., Sujatha, S.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agrochemicals; Climate change; Crop production; Crops; Fertilizers; Food; Nanoengineering; Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology; Nutrients; Pesticides
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0039418

In the face of alarmingly increasing climate change, agricultural sector is exposed to innumerable and unprecedented challenges globally. This has led to food insecurity worldwide and in order to achieve the required food security at the global level, various methods and techniques have been put forth by researchers from around the world for boosting crop production and ensuring sustainability. Advanced nano-engineering is found to be of great import in improving production in agriculture and increasing input efficiency and minimization of losses. The fertilizers and pesticides, used for increasing and protecting the crop production respectively, can gain not only specific but also wider surface area with the help of nanomaterials, which serve as exclusive agrochemical carriers and assure facilitation of nutrients to target areas with the help of delivery monitoring techniques. Nanobiosensors, an example of the wide ranging nanotools, scaffold the growth of high-tech agricultural farms and also stand proof for the practical and proposed applications of the nanotools in terms of agricultural inputs control and their management precision. Nanosensors the off-spring of the culmination of biology and nanotechnology has an increased potential level in sensing and identifying both the advantageous and adverse conditions of the environment. The other applications of nano-technology include nanofertiliers with release-control techniques for healthy growth and rich yield and productivity of crops, nano-based target delivery approach, also referred to as gene transfer technique, for improved quality of crops, nanopesticides for effective protection of crops and other nanomaterials for promotion of stress tolerance among plants and enhancement of quality of soil [4]. In our review paper, we intend sum up the recent research and studies on the nanotechnology's innovative uses in agriculture to cope up with the ever-increasing necessity for food and sustenance of environment.