Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 9
Emerging Role of Nanocarriers in Delivery
of Nitric Oxide for Sustainable Agriculture
Amedea B. Seabra, Mahendra Rai, and Nelson Dur
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Abstract The endogenously found free radical nitric oxide (NO) has important
roles in several aspects related to plant defense and growth. NO is a signaling
messenger in animals and plants due to its particular chemistry, as uncharged and
small molecule, relatively lipophilic. In recent year, important papers have been
describing the advantages of using NO donors in agriculture. Indeed, administration
of NO donors to plants is reported to stimulate plant greening and germination,
control iron homeostasis, and improve plant tolerance to metal toxicity, salinity,
drought stress, and high temperatures. Low molecular weight NO donors are known
to be thermally and photochemically unstable, impairing their applications in
agriculture. In this context, the combination of NO donors with nanomaterials has
been emerging as a promising approach to optimize the beneficial effects of NO in
plants. In spite that nanomaterials have been employed to carry agrochemicals in
plants, the combination of NO donors and nanomaterials is yet not deeper explored
in agriculture. In this scenario, this chapter highlights the advantages of appli-
cations of NO donors in plants, the uses of nanotechnology in agriculture, and the
necessity to develop new strategies based on the combination of NO and
nanomaterials in agriculture.
