Engineered Nanoparticles
in Agro-ecosystems: Implications on the Soil
Health
Disha Mishra, Versha Pandey, and Puja Khare
Abstract
Soil health has been considered as one of the important
factors for maintaining ecosystem boundaries, balanced
biogeocycles, sustaining plant growth, support habitat,
and balanced environmental functions. However, along
with the presence of persistence xenobiotics, the entry of
newer engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to the
agro-ecosystem has directly influenced the soil health.
ENPs are now having tremendous potential to shape the
global economy and thus their production has increased
deliberately. They are refined from bulk materials to offer
unprecedented interactions with small-scale molecules or
naturally occurring compounds that are produced on a
scale of *1–100 nm. These nano-architects are chiefly
employed for controlled delivery of fertilizers, pesticides,
hormones, genetic material, nano-sensors, and rebuilding
of soil structure in agro-ecosystem. However, they
undergo various transformations like aggregation, sorption, dissolution, decomposition, dispersion, and transportation in soil environment which directly affects the
soil health. Thus, their exposure has resulted in various
implications like disturbed soil microflora, impeded
decomposition of organic matter, lowered nutrient and
carbon reserves, and additionally toxicity to soil microbial
communities. The scientific communities have widely
reviewed major concerns about their origin, interaction,
distribution, toxicity, and mitigation in the soil ecosystem.
However, the unethical and uncontrolled liberation of
ENPs to the environment always made it a matter of
concern. Therefore, strong regulation, risk assessment,
and mitigation strategies are required for the sustainable
use of ENPs. Here, we have attempted to review the
structures, properties, mobility, interaction with soil
components, impact on soil health, toxicological profile,
effects on soil microbial communities, and assessment
methods. This will provide valuable approaches to tackle
the challenges associated with ENPs and directions for
future research.
Keywords
Nutrient content Á Persistent Á Risk assessment Á Soil
microflora Á Toxicity
1 Introduction
Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are the artificially derived
nanometer-scale components (1–100 nm in dimension)
which are produced for advanced nanomaterial construction
in smart applications (Auffan et al. 2009). ENPs are composed of two-layer, i.e., the surface layer having small doped
molecules like metal ions, polymer, surfactants, and the
inner core referring nanoparticle itself (Raliya 2019). Currently, many smart application of ENPs in soil nanotechnology has been documented, including as nanobiosensors,
delivery of nutrients, growth hormones, pesticides, food
additives, and genetic improvement of plants (Jampílek and
Kráľová 2017; Dar et al. 2020; Saxena et al. 2020). Therefore, to keep harmony in the soil functioning such as sustained growth of microbial species, nutrient bioavailability,
plant growth, crop yield, and application of engineered
nanoparticles (ENPs) have been considered as an emerging
and potentially viable technique for agricultural practices.
An increasing number of studies have suggested massive
production and liberation of ENPs in the ecosystem has
raised the question about their transformation, toxicity, risk,
and uncertainty during application. They are widely accepted by the scientific community for the application in agricultural purposes; however, accidentally soil becomes a
major sink of ENPs through different exposure routes
(Kumar et al. 2012).
D. Mishra (&) Á V. Pandey Á P. Khare
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,
Lucknow, 226015, India
e-mail: mishra.disha1@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
P. Singh et al. (eds.), Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems,
Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66956-0_7
103
in Agro-ecosystems: Implications on the Soil
Health
Disha Mishra, Versha Pandey, and Puja Khare
Abstract
Soil health has been considered as one of the important
factors for maintaining ecosystem boundaries, balanced
biogeocycles, sustaining plant growth, support habitat,
and balanced environmental functions. However, along
with the presence of persistence xenobiotics, the entry of
newer engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to the
agro-ecosystem has directly influenced the soil health.
ENPs are now having tremendous potential to shape the
global economy and thus their production has increased
deliberately. They are refined from bulk materials to offer
unprecedented interactions with small-scale molecules or
naturally occurring compounds that are produced on a
scale of *1–100 nm. These nano-architects are chiefly
employed for controlled delivery of fertilizers, pesticides,
hormones, genetic material, nano-sensors, and rebuilding
of soil structure in agro-ecosystem. However, they
undergo various transformations like aggregation, sorption, dissolution, decomposition, dispersion, and transportation in soil environment which directly affects the
soil health. Thus, their exposure has resulted in various
implications like disturbed soil microflora, impeded
decomposition of organic matter, lowered nutrient and
carbon reserves, and additionally toxicity to soil microbial
communities. The scientific communities have widely
reviewed major concerns about their origin, interaction,
distribution, toxicity, and mitigation in the soil ecosystem.
However, the unethical and uncontrolled liberation of
ENPs to the environment always made it a matter of
concern. Therefore, strong regulation, risk assessment,
and mitigation strategies are required for the sustainable
use of ENPs. Here, we have attempted to review the
structures, properties, mobility, interaction with soil
components, impact on soil health, toxicological profile,
effects on soil microbial communities, and assessment
methods. This will provide valuable approaches to tackle
the challenges associated with ENPs and directions for
future research.
Keywords
Nutrient content Á Persistent Á Risk assessment Á Soil
microflora Á Toxicity
1 Introduction
Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are the artificially derived
nanometer-scale components (1–100 nm in dimension)
which are produced for advanced nanomaterial construction
in smart applications (Auffan et al. 2009). ENPs are composed of two-layer, i.e., the surface layer having small doped
molecules like metal ions, polymer, surfactants, and the
inner core referring nanoparticle itself (Raliya 2019). Currently, many smart application of ENPs in soil nanotechnology has been documented, including as nanobiosensors,
delivery of nutrients, growth hormones, pesticides, food
additives, and genetic improvement of plants (Jampílek and
Kráľová 2017; Dar et al. 2020; Saxena et al. 2020). Therefore, to keep harmony in the soil functioning such as sustained growth of microbial species, nutrient bioavailability,
plant growth, crop yield, and application of engineered
nanoparticles (ENPs) have been considered as an emerging
and potentially viable technique for agricultural practices.
An increasing number of studies have suggested massive
production and liberation of ENPs in the ecosystem has
raised the question about their transformation, toxicity, risk,
and uncertainty during application. They are widely accepted by the scientific community for the application in agricultural purposes; however, accidentally soil becomes a
major sink of ENPs through different exposure routes
(Kumar et al. 2012).
D. Mishra (&) Á V. Pandey Á P. Khare
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,
Lucknow, 226015, India
e-mail: mishra.disha1@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
P. Singh et al. (eds.), Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems,
Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66956-0_7
103