Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In this chapter, we emphasize on the formulation and delivery of nano-fertilizers,
their uptake, translocation, and fate in plants as well as their effect on plant
physiology and metabolism. Ethical and safety issues regarding the use of nano-
technology in agriculture are also discussed.
4.1
Introduction
Nanomaterials are at the leading edge of rapidly developing field of nanotechnol-
ogy. According to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), “Nanotechnology
research and development is directed towards understanding and creating improved
materials, devices and systems that exploit nanoscale properties” (Nanoscale Sci-
ence Energy and Technology Subcommittee
2007
). Nanotechnology is an emerging
technology, which has revolutionary breakthrough in various fields such as elec-
tronics, energy, remediation, automobile, space technology, and life sciences. It has
great potential in biological and medical applications such as gene and drug
delivery, biosensing, diagnostic and tissue engineering (Borm et al.
2006
;
Oberd¨rster et al.
2005
).
The term “nano” is adapted from the Greek word meaning “dwarf.” The word
“nano” means 10
9
or one billionth part of a meter. Particles with at least one
dimension less than 100 nm are considered as “nanoparticles” (Thakkar et al.
2010
).
Nanoparticles have high surface area to volume ratio, nanometer regime, and
unique properties, which makes them highly applicable. Nanotechnology provides
new interdisciplinary venture into agriculture and food sciences by converging
science and engineering. It promises significant contribution to agricultural
research, which can lead to new avenues for solving numerous agricultural prob-
lems. Nanoparticles have potential applications in agriculture system, viz., detec-
tion of pollutants, plant diseases, pests, and pathogens; controlled delivery of
pesticide, fertilizers, nutrients, and genetic material; and can act as nanoarchitects
in formation and binding of soil structure (Ghormade et al.
2011
). Nanoparticles
can result in modification of plant gene expression and associated biological
pathways which ultimately affect plant growth and development (Nair
et al.
2010
). Nanoparticles can have varied compositions, from being composed
of metal oxide, ceramics, silicates, magnetic materials, quantum dots, lipid, poly-
mers, and dendrimers to emulsions. Composition of nanoparticles plays a signifi-
cant role in their application. For example, polymer-coated nanoparticles are used
as agrochemical carrier due to its controlled-release ability, whereas metal
nanoparticles show size-dependent properties such as magnetism, fluorescence,
and photocatalytic degradation, which have application in sensor development,
agrochemical degradation, and soil remediation (Ghormade et al.
2011
).
Outburst of world population in the past decade has forced for higher agriculture
productivity to satisfy the needs of billions of people especially in developing
