Potentiality of metal nanoparticles in precision and sustainable crop production

Nanotechnology is a novel technique that has potential applications in multiple sectors and can easily transform the conventional farming system into modern agriculture in an eco-friendly, sustainable way. It is the modern farming strategy that can fulfill the higher demand for foods among the world’s population along with overcoming the inherent limitations in traditional agriculture like soil disturbance, imbalance in biodiversity, and environmental risk. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are used as nano-pesticides, nano-fertilizers, nano-sensors, and nano-priming agents that can be synthesized through physical, chemical, or biological methods. They also help to mitigate issues such as high production costs, excessive pesticide and fertilizer requirements, soil depletion, and various biotic and abiotic challenges. Additionally, agroecosystems can achieve enhanced nutrient utilization efficiency, more efficient pest control, and less environmental impact with the application of metal NPs. Nanoencapsulation allows chemical pesticides and fertilizers to be precisely dosed by deliberately releasing their ingredients incrementally. Metal NPs, used as biosensors and seed-priming materials, can be integrated with precision agriculture to enable precise resource management. Aside from that, they can contribute to seed germination even in adverse conditions. A variety of important information from different research findings on metal NPs, their characteristics, synthesis process, and their roles in precision and sustainable agriculture are included in this article. This article also covers future perspectives for metal NPs based on these impacts. This study discusses the benefits of metal NPs on plant growth and development, as well as their effects on precision agriculture for crop production.