Impact of Engineered Nanoparticles
on Microbial Communities, Soil Health
and Plants
Akhilesh Kumar, Prashant Kumar Sharma, Saurabh Singh,
and Jay Prakash Verma
Abstract
Today, nanoparticles (NPs) have received tremendous
attention due to their unusual properties and multiple
applications. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are applied
in medicine, industries, agriculture, space science, etc.
Anthropogenic release of ENPs to the environment poses
a potential hazard to soil, plants, and human health. Soil is
a major repository of ENPs and its exposure modulates
microbial diversity, soil properties, and plant growth. The
effects of ENPs on soil result in many anomalies on soil
properties and plants. Soil enzymes such as dehydrogenase, urease, and phosphatase are highly affected by
ENPs. ENPs exert toxic effects on multiple economically
important crops and trigger severe oxidative stress in
plants leading to cell death. Due to their unique size,
ENPs penetrate plant tissues and translocate from one part
to another. Also, uptake, translocation, and accumulation
of ENPs in crops pose potential risk to animals and
human beings. Thus, in the present scenario, it is
necessary to explore the effects of different ENPs on soil
physicochemical, microbial community, and plant growth
parameters. In this chapter, we will briefly highlight the
effects of different ENPs on soil, microbs, and plant
responses.
Keywords
Adsorption Á Bio-availability Á Ecotoxicity Á Oxidative
stress toxicity Á Soil enzymes Á Transportation
1 Introduction
The global demand for food is predicted to increase by
around 70–100% by 2050 (Foley et al. 2011; Muller et al.
2012; WWAP 2012). The present intensive agriculture has
resulted stress on ecosystems and natural resources resulting
in erosion of soil, soil pollution, loss of biodiversity, and
disturbance of global nutrient cycles (Foley et al. 2011).
Therefore, the pattern of agricultural practices is changing
rapidly by incorporating a sustainable approach and modern
innovative technology like nanotechnology. However, the
application of nanotechnology to agriculture is still at a
nascent stage as compared to their application in energy,
water treatment, etc. (Qu et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2003; Shah
et al. 2014). The ‘nano’ size has resulted in large
surface-to-volume ratios, unique surface functionalization,
plasmon resonance, and photoactivity which can be utilized
to improve the agro-food systems. Nanotechnology is
applied in the field for the supply of nutrients, monitoring,
and suppression of disease (Asli and Neumann 2009).
The commercial products of engineered nanoparticles
(ENPs) are rapidly moving from laboratory to market. The
widespread applicability has raised significant concerns
about the harmful impact of ENPs to the environment. Soil is
the primary sink for ENPs which get accumulated through
various pathways, such as direct when ENPs containing
pesticides, fertilizers, sewage sludge, etc., are used for
improved productivity, while the indirect exposure is via
atmospheric deposition, landfills, or accidental spills during
industrial production (Zhang 2003; DeRosa et al. 2010). In a
given environment, ENPs may interact with soil, microbes,
and plants. The effect of ENPs on the soil depends on the
type, size, composition, concentration together with soil
type, and its enzymatic activities. Higher concentrations of
ENPs induce a negative effect on dehydrogenase activity
(Josko et al. 2014). ENPs also cause detrimental effects on
the rate of self-cleansing capacity of soil and nutrients balance. These processes are instrumental in plant
A. Kumar (&) Á S. Singh Á J. P. Verma
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras
Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, 221005, India
e-mail: akhiballia@gmail.com
J. P. Verma
e-mail: verma_bhu@yahoo.co.in
P. K. Sharma
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Handloom
Technology, Varanasi, 221005, 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_14
201
on Microbial Communities, Soil Health
and Plants
Akhilesh Kumar, Prashant Kumar Sharma, Saurabh Singh,
and Jay Prakash Verma
Abstract
Today, nanoparticles (NPs) have received tremendous
attention due to their unusual properties and multiple
applications. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are applied
in medicine, industries, agriculture, space science, etc.
Anthropogenic release of ENPs to the environment poses
a potential hazard to soil, plants, and human health. Soil is
a major repository of ENPs and its exposure modulates
microbial diversity, soil properties, and plant growth. The
effects of ENPs on soil result in many anomalies on soil
properties and plants. Soil enzymes such as dehydrogenase, urease, and phosphatase are highly affected by
ENPs. ENPs exert toxic effects on multiple economically
important crops and trigger severe oxidative stress in
plants leading to cell death. Due to their unique size,
ENPs penetrate plant tissues and translocate from one part
to another. Also, uptake, translocation, and accumulation
of ENPs in crops pose potential risk to animals and
human beings. Thus, in the present scenario, it is
necessary to explore the effects of different ENPs on soil
physicochemical, microbial community, and plant growth
parameters. In this chapter, we will briefly highlight the
effects of different ENPs on soil, microbs, and plant
responses.
Keywords
Adsorption Á Bio-availability Á Ecotoxicity Á Oxidative
stress toxicity Á Soil enzymes Á Transportation
1 Introduction
The global demand for food is predicted to increase by
around 70–100% by 2050 (Foley et al. 2011; Muller et al.
2012; WWAP 2012). The present intensive agriculture has
resulted stress on ecosystems and natural resources resulting
in erosion of soil, soil pollution, loss of biodiversity, and
disturbance of global nutrient cycles (Foley et al. 2011).
Therefore, the pattern of agricultural practices is changing
rapidly by incorporating a sustainable approach and modern
innovative technology like nanotechnology. However, the
application of nanotechnology to agriculture is still at a
nascent stage as compared to their application in energy,
water treatment, etc. (Qu et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2003; Shah
et al. 2014). The ‘nano’ size has resulted in large
surface-to-volume ratios, unique surface functionalization,
plasmon resonance, and photoactivity which can be utilized
to improve the agro-food systems. Nanotechnology is
applied in the field for the supply of nutrients, monitoring,
and suppression of disease (Asli and Neumann 2009).
The commercial products of engineered nanoparticles
(ENPs) are rapidly moving from laboratory to market. The
widespread applicability has raised significant concerns
about the harmful impact of ENPs to the environment. Soil is
the primary sink for ENPs which get accumulated through
various pathways, such as direct when ENPs containing
pesticides, fertilizers, sewage sludge, etc., are used for
improved productivity, while the indirect exposure is via
atmospheric deposition, landfills, or accidental spills during
industrial production (Zhang 2003; DeRosa et al. 2010). In a
given environment, ENPs may interact with soil, microbes,
and plants. The effect of ENPs on the soil depends on the
type, size, composition, concentration together with soil
type, and its enzymatic activities. Higher concentrations of
ENPs induce a negative effect on dehydrogenase activity
(Josko et al. 2014). ENPs also cause detrimental effects on
the rate of self-cleansing capacity of soil and nutrients balance. These processes are instrumental in plant
A. Kumar (&) Á S. Singh Á J. P. Verma
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras
Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, 221005, India
e-mail: akhiballia@gmail.com
J. P. Verma
e-mail: verma_bhu@yahoo.co.in
P. K. Sharma
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Handloom
Technology, Varanasi, 221005, 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_14
201