Table 1 Engineered
nanomaterials and their types
Engineered nanomaterials
(ENMs)
Types
Carbon-based
nanomaterials
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs): single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), multi
walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and Graphene and fullerenes (C60 and
C70)
Metal based nanomaterials
(Inorganic)
Zero-valent metals (such as Au, Ag, and Fe ENMs), Metal oxides
(nano-ZnO, TiO 2 and CeO 2 ), and Metal salts (such as nano silicates and
ceramics)
Quantum dots
CdSe and CdTe
Nanosized polymers
(Organic)
Dendrimers, liposomes and polystyrene
Organic—inorganic
hybrids
Metal organic frameworks,
covalent organic frameworks
Table 2 Engineered
nanomaterials and their uptake by
plants
Mode
Types
Cuticle (size: 0.6–4.8 nm)
Lipophilic (non-polar) Hydrophilic (polar)
Leaves
Stomata (size: 20 nm)
Stomatal aperture through apoplast
Lateral root junction
Apoplastic pathway
Roots
Cell–cell contact
Symplastic pathway
Table 3 Impact of nanoparticles
on plant productivity
Nanoparticles
Plant productivity
Reference
Nano-zinc oxide (nZnO) and nano-silicon (nSi)
Improved salt resistance in plant,
load of annual crop and quality of
mango fruit
Elsheery
et al.
(2020a, b)
Urea doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
(Ur@HANP)
Proved alternative for N and P
fertilizers
Pradhan
et al.
(2020)
Titanium NPs (Ti-NPs)
Alleviated As-induced toxic
responses in Vigna radiata L
Katiyar
et al.
(2020)
Molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoO 3 -NPs)
Effective on the productivity of
common bean plant
Osman
et al.
(2020)
Calcium tetraborate nanocrystals-Boron
(B) nano-fertilizer (NF) - lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) growth and
physiology
Effective at plant productivity on
B-limited soils
Meier et al.
(2020)
Iron (III) oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) NMs applied to wheat
plants in a hydroponics
Efficient in plant growth
Al-Amri
et al.
(2020)
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and zinc ions
(Zn
2+ )
Reduced total As in rice
Ma et al.
(2020)
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs)
Reduce toxicity of Cd in tomato
plants
Faizan et al.
(2020)
Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs)
Protective role of NPs for microbes
and plant (maize) roots
Yan et al.
(2020)
Manganese (III) oxide nanoparticles (MnNPs)
Alleviate salinity stress in
Capsicum annuum L
Ye et al.
(2020)
86
A. A. H. Khan
nanomaterials and their types
Engineered nanomaterials
(ENMs)
Types
Carbon-based
nanomaterials
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs): single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), multi
walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and Graphene and fullerenes (C60 and
C70)
Metal based nanomaterials
(Inorganic)
Zero-valent metals (such as Au, Ag, and Fe ENMs), Metal oxides
(nano-ZnO, TiO 2 and CeO 2 ), and Metal salts (such as nano silicates and
ceramics)
Quantum dots
CdSe and CdTe
Nanosized polymers
(Organic)
Dendrimers, liposomes and polystyrene
Organic—inorganic
hybrids
Metal organic frameworks,
covalent organic frameworks
Table 2 Engineered
nanomaterials and their uptake by
plants
Mode
Types
Cuticle (size: 0.6–4.8 nm)
Lipophilic (non-polar) Hydrophilic (polar)
Leaves
Stomata (size: 20 nm)
Stomatal aperture through apoplast
Lateral root junction
Apoplastic pathway
Roots
Cell–cell contact
Symplastic pathway
Table 3 Impact of nanoparticles
on plant productivity
Nanoparticles
Plant productivity
Reference
Nano-zinc oxide (nZnO) and nano-silicon (nSi)
Improved salt resistance in plant,
load of annual crop and quality of
mango fruit
Elsheery
et al.
(2020a, b)
Urea doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles
(Ur@HANP)
Proved alternative for N and P
fertilizers
Pradhan
et al.
(2020)
Titanium NPs (Ti-NPs)
Alleviated As-induced toxic
responses in Vigna radiata L
Katiyar
et al.
(2020)
Molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoO 3 -NPs)
Effective on the productivity of
common bean plant
Osman
et al.
(2020)
Calcium tetraborate nanocrystals-Boron
(B) nano-fertilizer (NF) - lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) growth and
physiology
Effective at plant productivity on
B-limited soils
Meier et al.
(2020)
Iron (III) oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) NMs applied to wheat
plants in a hydroponics
Efficient in plant growth
Al-Amri
et al.
(2020)
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and zinc ions
(Zn
2+ )
Reduced total As in rice
Ma et al.
(2020)
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs)
Reduce toxicity of Cd in tomato
plants
Faizan et al.
(2020)
Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs)
Protective role of NPs for microbes
and plant (maize) roots
Yan et al.
(2020)
Manganese (III) oxide nanoparticles (MnNPs)
Alleviate salinity stress in
Capsicum annuum L
Ye et al.
(2020)
86
A. A. H. Khan