Comprehensive perspective of sustainable nanostructured metal and metal oxide towards agriculture utility for precision farming

Abstract

The growing advancements in science and technology have brought forward a new domain with the potential to manipulate structures at nano dimensions, termed nanotechnology. Nanotechnology uses materials whose dimensions lie between 1 and 100 nm, which offers them excellent properties and a high surface-to-volume ratio that further enriches it with enormous attention in various domains. Apart from the biomedical and environmental domains, agriculture has also highly utilized nanotechnology in past decades as it carries the global burden of fulfilling food demands and boosting a country's economy. Therefore, developing and enhancing agriculture and its products have become the primary needs of researchers and the government. Moreover, metal-based nanoparticles are highly preferred in the agricultural sector because they can be easily synthesized, readily taken by plants from soil and water, act as excellent antimicrobials, pesticides, and fertilizers, and are also highly used in genetic engineering. Moreover, to reduce their toxicity, biogenic metal-based nanoparticles are synthesized utilizing extracts of plant parts, microorganisms, biomolecules, nutrients, etc. In this article, a systematic review was deliberated by providing pathways to the budding researchers, starting from various types of synthesis of biogenic nanoparticles, factors influencing the formation, and their application in various agricultural sectors. The integration of nanotechnology in agriculture, specifically through the use of biogenic metal-based nanoparticles, addresses key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Goal 2: Zero Hunger by enhancing food production and security, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production by optimizing resource use, and Goal 15: Life on Land by promoting sustainable farming practices that minimize environmental impact. Hence, nanoparticle-assisted delivery to plants will lead to precision farming and articulate several challenges in traditional agriculture.