Nanotechnology in Agriculture: Current Trends and Future Prospects Under Changing Climate

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a developing technology for improving crop yield and can cope with current agricultural problems, including climate change. Climate change has an antagonistic effect on crop yield by exacerbating the rate of pest spread and decreasing the efficiency of old-fashioned pest control approaches. The nanomaterials have numerous properties: they have a high surface area, show slow-release action, and provide targeted action at active sites, and so forth. Plenty of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have shown real potential in farming and crop production. Nanofertilizers (NFs) are one of the most significant ways to increase resource efficacy in plants and lower pollution. Using nanopesticides, nanoherbicides, and nanosensors helps improve plant productivity. Plants become more robust and competitive than weeds and several other abiotic stresses. Silver nanoparticles play a vital role in controlling several seed and soil-borne phytopathogens. Therefore, nanotechnology has shown value in agriculture. Nanotechnology is a favor-able novel approach for plant disease management that has many advantages over conventional products, such as lower eco-toxicity, better efficacy, and less input requirement. Some promising results have been achieved when various nanomaterials were used on a number of crop plants.