Nanotechnology in Agriculture

The ‘First Green Revolution ‘ during 1970’s targeted to the four basic elements systems namely, semidwarf high yielding varieties of wheat and rice, extensive use of irrigation, fertilizers and agro-chemicals resulting in terrific increase in the agricultural production. However, the agricultural production is experiencing a plateau nowadays. Agriculture is always the backbone of many developing countries and facing a wide spectrum of challenges such as stagnation in crop yields, low nutrient use efficiency, multi-nutrient deficiencies, climate change, shrinkable arable land, water availability, shortage of labors.  There is a need of explore one of the frontier technologies such as ‘Nanotechnology’ to precisely detect and deliver the correct quantity of nutrients and pesticides to increase crop production and conservation of inputs. Precision farming has been a long-derived goal to maximize output (i.e. crop yield) while minimize inputs (i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides etc.) through monitoring environmental variables and applying targeted action.

Nanotechnology is now emerging and fast growing field of science which is being exploited over a wide range of discipline such as chemistry, physics, biology, material science, electronics, energy, medicines health sector and environment. Nanotechnology and applications derived from using nanotechnologies are of interest to agriculture to help address the issues of sustainable agricultural inputs and improving productivity and food and water safety. Nanotechnology have many applications in all stages of production, processing, storing, packaging and transport of agricultural products. Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise  the agricultural sector with new tools for the molecular treatment of disease detection, rapid disease detection, enhancing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients etc. In fact, there is a need of ‘Second Green Revolution’.