Engineered nanomaterials for sustainable agricultural production, soil improvement, and stress management

A rapid increase in the population across the globe has also led to an upsurge in the consumption of food. The traditional practices adopted by the farmers are incapable of satisfying the huge nutritional upsurge. Also, every year, one-third of the crops get spoiled due to natural factors like poor soil quality, microbial attacks, natural disasters, and stress factors. Hence, innovative technologies and approaches have to be adopted to get rid of these problems and fulfill the nutritional requirement of the growing population. Nanotechnology has played a dynamic role in introducing agrotechnological revolution, which has a forthcoming ability to improve the agricultural system along with addressing the issue of food security. Therefore, enhancement of modern agricultural practices is achieved by the use of nanoparticles, the new-era material. In the past decade, several engineered nanomaterials such as nanopesticides, nanofertilizer, and nanosensor have been developed for managing plant health and for enriching the sustainability of agricultural practices by producing low waste with high yield and with ease. By using these nanoparticles in numerous forms, not only the crop yield was enhanced but also the micronutrients required for host defense. With a detailed study of the plant and nanoparticle interaction, we can get through new avenues toward cultivating crop practices by increasing plant properties such as crop yield, nutrient utilization, and disease resistance.