review · Environment International
Metal nanoparticles, including silver, gold, copper, and zinc, present significant opportunities to enhance agricultural productivity and support global food security. At the molecular level, these particles alter plant cellular processes such as sensing, signalling, transcription, translation, and nutrient uptake, while also activating stress-responsive defence genes. Quantified benefits demonstrate that metal nanoparticles increase crop productivity by an average of 20 percent and reduce disease incidence by up to 50 percent through antimicrobial action. They also reduce nutrient leaching by 30 percent and boost soil carbon sequestration by 15 percent. However, successful implementation requires mitigating specific risks, including toxicity, negative impacts on non-target organisms, and the potential accumulation of nanoparticles within the human food chain. Safe integration into agricultural practice depends on resolving these environmental and physiological concerns.
Agriculture faces mounting pressure to feed a growing population while cutting environmental harm. Metal nanoparticles offer a way to substantially boost crop yields, lower chemical run-off, and protect against plant diseases. Clarifying their molecular actions helps researchers harness these benefits responsibly, ensuring that new agricultural treatments do not compromise environmental safety or human health through food-chain contamination.
The findings point to commercial applications in nano-fertilisers, precision disease control agents, and nano-remediation tools for agribusiness and crop growers. Despite proven performance gains in productivity and disease reduction, the technology remains at a stage requiring risk management. Commercial deployment depends on addressing toxicity, non-target exposure, and accumulation in edible produce, indicating that safe regulatory approval and field integration remain intermediate steps before widespread market entry.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Metal nanoparticles offer promising prospects in agriculture, enhancing plant growth and ensuring food security. Silver, gold, copper, and zinc nanoparticles possess unique properties making them attractive for plant applications. Understanding molecular interactions between metal nanoparticles and plants is crucial for unlocking their potential to boost crop productivity and sustainability. This review explores metal nanoparticles in agriculture, emphasizing the need to understand these interactions. By elucidating mechanisms, it highlights the potential for enhancing crop productivity, stress tolerance, and nutrient-use efficiency, contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security. Quantifying benefits and risks reveal significant advantages. Metal nanoparticles enhance crop productivity by 20% on average and reduce disease incidence by up to 50% when used as antimicrobial agents. They also reduce nutrient leaching by 30% and enhance soil carbon sequestration by 15%, but concerns about toxicity, adverse effects on non-target organisms, and nanoparticle accumulation in the food chain must be addressed. Metal nanoparticles influence cellular processes including sensing, signaling, transcription, translation, and post-translational modifications. They act as signaling molecules, activate stress-responsive genes, enhance defense mechanisms, and improve nutrient uptake. The review explores their catalytic role in nutrient management, disease control, precision agriculture, nano-fertilizers, and nano-remediation. A bibliometric analysis offers insights into the current research landscape, highlighting trends, gaps, and future directions. In conclusion, metal nanoparticles hold potential for revolutionizing agriculture, enhancing productivity, mitigating environmental stressors, and promoting sustainability. Addressing risks and gaps is crucial for their safe integration into agricultural practices.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108859
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
