Nanotechnology in Agriculture : Future Prospective

Nanotechnology  in Agriculture

The use of nanomaterials for delivery of pesticides and fertilizers is explored to reduce the dosage and ensure controlled slow delivery but the risk assessment of the use of nanomaterials is still not defined. Toxicity of the ecosystem, potential residue carry-over in foodstuff and nanomaterials phytotoxicity are some of the major concern for application of nanomaterials in agriculture. The health concern of nanomaterials has been reviewed . There is need to evaluate the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of nanomaterials used in agricultural production. Nanomaterials owing to increased surface area might have toxic effects that are not apparent in the bulk materials especially in open agricultural ecosystem. The selection of nanomaterials for application in the field may be critical as materials which are non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible are desirable. Nanofabrication with hyper-accumulator plant or in combination with soil microorganism will provide the approach of “Designer plant” boosting up the nutrient uptake and phytomining efficiency.  This can be achieved in future by nano-biofarming or particle farming. This is one such field which yields nanoparticles for industrial use by growing plants in defined soil.

Smart precision farming will make use of computers, global satellite positioning system and remote sensing devices to measure highly localized environmental conditions enabling us to know whether crops are growing at maximum efficiency. Nanotechnology may be developed and deployed for real-time monitoring of the crop growth and field conditions including moisture level, soil fertility, temperature, crop nutrient status, insects, plant diseases, weeds. Networks of wireless nanosensors positioned across cultivated fields will provide essential data leading to best agronomic intelligence processes with the aim to minimize resource inputs and maximize output.

Humidity, light temperature, soil conditions, fertilization, insects, and plant diseases all affect the release of volatile organic compounds which could be detected by electronic nose. Electronic noses in agriculture will detect crop diseases, identify insect infestation, and monitor food quality. The electronic nose could also be used in food industry to assess the freshness spoilage of fruits and vegetables during the processing and packaging process. Smart dust technology will be used for monitoring various parameters such as temperature, humidity, insect and disease infestation in future. This is the future of agriculture, an army of nanosensors will be scattered like dust across the farms and fields, working like the eyes, ears and nosed of the farming world. These tiny wireless sensors are capable to communicate the information they sense. These will be programmed and designed to respond various parameters like variation in temperature, nutrients and humidity.

In summary, the development of nanomaterials with good dispersion and wettability, biodegradable in soil, and environment, less toxic and more photo-generative, with well understood toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics, smart and stable, and ease of fabrication and application in agriculture, would be ideal for their effective use in agricultural crop production.