Engineered Nanoparticles in Smart
Agricultural Revolution: An Enticing Domain
to Move Carefully
Pratap Srivastava, Rishikesh Singh, Rahul Bhadouria, Dan Bahadur Pal,
Pardeep Singh, and Sachchidanand Tripathi
Abstract
Nanotechnology may potentially benefit our agroecosystems in multiple ways, primarily via reduction in
agricultural inputs without yield penalty and enhanced
absorption of nutrients by the plants. In this regard,
nano-fertilizers (such as engineered metal oxide or
carbon-based nano-materials, nano-coated fertilizers,
and nano-sized nutrients), and nano-pesticides (inorganic
nano-materials or nano-formulations of active ingredients), might bring targeted as well as controlled release of
agrochemicals in order to tap the fullest biological
efficacy in already stressed agro-ecosystems, without
over-dosages and leach-outs. Therefore, such nano-tools
may multiply the agricultural yield, providing protection
against various pests and diseases, without polluting our
soil and water ecosystems at the same time. Though
nanotechnology may provide potential solutions on such
critical and persistent issues in agricultural management
and activities; however, new environmental and human
health hazards from their applications itself may pose
unforeseen challenges to the humankind. For example,
the biosafety, adversity, unknown fate, and acquired
biological reactivity/toxicity of these nano-materials once
dispersed in environment after application are still an
unknown and threatening area, which needs to be
investigated carefully and scientifically, before its open
field use in our agro-ecosystems. Among other potential
benefits, nano-tools may also be utilized for the rapid
disease diagnostic in field crops and monitoring of the
packaged food quality and contaminations. Similarly, the
quality and health of soils and plants can be regularly
monitored in real-time manner with the help of sensors
based on highly sensitive nano-materials. However, a
responsible regulatory consensus on nanotechnology
application in agriculture needs to be developed, based
upon profound scientific foundations. This chapter
explores the area of nanotechnology in revolutionizing
agriculture in a smart way via its known interactions with
plants and soil microorganisms so far in the literature.
Keywords
Agrochemicals Á Carbon nanotubes Á Nano-fertilizers Á
Nano-pesticides Á Nanopolymer Á Quantum dots Á
Sustainable agriculture
1 Introduction
Agriculture is fundamental to human civilization, which,
therefore, also primarily associates with the sustainability of
our system and human health (Srivastava et al. 2016; Mishra
et al. 2018). The primary objective of nano-materials, for
which they are being explored in agriculture domain, is
economy and efficiency (i.e., to reduce agrochemicals,
minimize nutrient leach-out with an increase in yield it
provides, in a cost- and time-effective manner) (Marchiol
et al. 2020; Pirzadah et al. 2020). Agriculture produces and
P. Srivastava (&)
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Government PG College,
University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211013, India
e-mail: prataps103@gmail.com
R. Singh
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IESD),
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221005, India
R. Bhadouria
Department of Botany, University of Delhi,
New Delhi, 110007, India
D. Bahadur Pal
Department of Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of
Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India
P. Singh
Department of Environmental Studies, PGDAV College,
University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110065, India
S. Tripathi
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, University of Delhi,
New Delhi, 110078, India
© 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_1
3
Agricultural Revolution: An Enticing Domain
to Move Carefully
Pratap Srivastava, Rishikesh Singh, Rahul Bhadouria, Dan Bahadur Pal,
Pardeep Singh, and Sachchidanand Tripathi
Abstract
Nanotechnology may potentially benefit our agroecosystems in multiple ways, primarily via reduction in
agricultural inputs without yield penalty and enhanced
absorption of nutrients by the plants. In this regard,
nano-fertilizers (such as engineered metal oxide or
carbon-based nano-materials, nano-coated fertilizers,
and nano-sized nutrients), and nano-pesticides (inorganic
nano-materials or nano-formulations of active ingredients), might bring targeted as well as controlled release of
agrochemicals in order to tap the fullest biological
efficacy in already stressed agro-ecosystems, without
over-dosages and leach-outs. Therefore, such nano-tools
may multiply the agricultural yield, providing protection
against various pests and diseases, without polluting our
soil and water ecosystems at the same time. Though
nanotechnology may provide potential solutions on such
critical and persistent issues in agricultural management
and activities; however, new environmental and human
health hazards from their applications itself may pose
unforeseen challenges to the humankind. For example,
the biosafety, adversity, unknown fate, and acquired
biological reactivity/toxicity of these nano-materials once
dispersed in environment after application are still an
unknown and threatening area, which needs to be
investigated carefully and scientifically, before its open
field use in our agro-ecosystems. Among other potential
benefits, nano-tools may also be utilized for the rapid
disease diagnostic in field crops and monitoring of the
packaged food quality and contaminations. Similarly, the
quality and health of soils and plants can be regularly
monitored in real-time manner with the help of sensors
based on highly sensitive nano-materials. However, a
responsible regulatory consensus on nanotechnology
application in agriculture needs to be developed, based
upon profound scientific foundations. This chapter
explores the area of nanotechnology in revolutionizing
agriculture in a smart way via its known interactions with
plants and soil microorganisms so far in the literature.
Keywords
Agrochemicals Á Carbon nanotubes Á Nano-fertilizers Á
Nano-pesticides Á Nanopolymer Á Quantum dots Á
Sustainable agriculture
1 Introduction
Agriculture is fundamental to human civilization, which,
therefore, also primarily associates with the sustainability of
our system and human health (Srivastava et al. 2016; Mishra
et al. 2018). The primary objective of nano-materials, for
which they are being explored in agriculture domain, is
economy and efficiency (i.e., to reduce agrochemicals,
minimize nutrient leach-out with an increase in yield it
provides, in a cost- and time-effective manner) (Marchiol
et al. 2020; Pirzadah et al. 2020). Agriculture produces and
P. Srivastava (&)
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Government PG College,
University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211013, India
e-mail: prataps103@gmail.com
R. Singh
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IESD),
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221005, India
R. Bhadouria
Department of Botany, University of Delhi,
New Delhi, 110007, India
D. Bahadur Pal
Department of Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of
Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India
P. Singh
Department of Environmental Studies, PGDAV College,
University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110065, India
S. Tripathi
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, University of Delhi,
New Delhi, 110078, India
© 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_1
3