Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-07-16DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100328
Siyi Gao, Midori Tuda
{"title":"Silicon, selenium, iron, and zinc nanoparticles suppress arrowhead scale populations and modify citrus leaf and petiole traits","authors":"Siyi Gao, Midori Tuda","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanoparticle (NP)-based agrochemicals are increasingly explored as sustainable alternatives to conventional pesticides, yet their effects on piercing–sucking pests and the underlying plant-mediated mechanisms remain poorly understood. We examined how foliar application of four elemental NPs—silicon dioxide (SiO₂)NPs, selenium (Se)NPs, iron oxide (Fe₂O₃)NPs, and zinc oxide (ZnO)NPs—influences citrus leaf and petiole traits and the population dynamics, settlement behavior, and body size of the arrowhead scale <em>Unaspis yanonensis</em> on satsuma mandarin <em>Citrus unshiu</em>. After nymphal settlement, leaves were treated once with NPs or distilled water, and scale populations and leaf areas were monitored for six weeks under greenhouse conditions. All NP treatments reduced weekly population-density change in nymphal and adult stages, with ZnONPs and SiO₂NPs showing the strongest suppression of adults. SeNPs, Fe₂O₃NPs, and ZnONPs promoted leaf growth only under scale infestation. In bifoliate choice assays, first-instar nymphs showed the previously reported preference for SiO₂NP-treated leaves and avoidance of SeNP-treated leaves. NP treatments also modified leaf and petiole toughness and tissue-specific elemental composition. SiO₂NPs increased leaf and petiole toughness in association with elevated adaxial epidermal Si and Ca. ZnONP treatment reduced adult scale size. Across treatments, tougher tissues were generally associated with reduced adult body size. These results suggest that elemental NPs can suppress arrowhead scale populations through direct and/or plant-mediated effects involving changes in citrus tissue structure and elemental allocation. ZnONPs appear particularly promising as pest-suppressive materials that may also enhance leaf growth under infestation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100328"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148635569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-07-31DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100330
Punith M. Sundaraswamy, Binod Babu Shrestha, Lipsa Rani Nath, Mahima Kumar, Shanmugavel Chinnathambi, Siddabasave Gowda B. Gowda, Ganesh N. Pandian
{"title":"Marine hijiki-derived carbon dots enable fluorescent bioimaging and enhance rice seedling growth","authors":"Punith M. Sundaraswamy, Binod Babu Shrestha, Lipsa Rani Nath, Mahima Kumar, Shanmugavel Chinnathambi, Siddabasave Gowda B. Gowda, Ganesh N. Pandian","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we present a green and scalable hydrothermal strategy for synthesizing multifunctional carbon dots (CDs) from the edible marine alga <em>Hizikia fusiformis</em>. The resulting hijiki-derived CDs (H-CDs) exhibit well-defined optical and structural properties, including strong blue emission (λₑₘ ≈ 407 nm), a quantum yield of 8.7%, an extended fluorescence lifetime (15.8 ns), ultrasmall size, and abundant surface functionalization. These features confer high aqueous stability and compatibility with biological environments. Biological evaluation demonstrates that H-CDs are cytocompatible and efficiently internalized by HeLa cells, producing stable intracellular fluorescence suitable for bioimaging. In addition, H-CDs exhibit strong inhibitory activity against sphingomyelin synthase isoforms (SMS1 and SMS2), with inhibition levels comparable to those of established inhibitors. A plausible interaction mechanism involving multivalent surface interactions, including electrostatic binding and substrate mimicry, is proposed to explain this activity. In plant systems, H-CDs significantly enhance rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em>) seed germination and early seedling development, as reflected by increased root and shoot growth. Confocal imaging confirms their uptake and localization within metabolically active seed tissues, particularly in the bran and aleurone layers. At the molecular level, selective upregulation of <em>OsDGAT1</em> suggests stimulation of lipid biosynthesis pathways associated with early-stage energy metabolism, while unchanged <em>OsACBP4</em> expression indicates limited impact on lipid transport. Our work advances plant nanobiology by showing that biomass-derived carbon dots interact with plants at physiological and molecular levels, linking uptake to metabolic regulation and growth, and enabling sustainable platforms for bioimaging, metabolic control, and agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100330"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148735744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nano-engineered botanical pesticides for sustainable crop protection: Mechanistic advances, formulation strategies, and field-scale perspectives","authors":"Ashish Kumar Singh, Niraj Kumar, Akhilesh Kumar Pandey","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100340","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing environmental and ecological concerns about the intensive use of synthetic pesticides have accelerated the development of sustainable crop protection methods. Botanical pesticides are viewed as promising options due to their biodegradability, multi-target modes of action, and generally positive environmental impact. Still, their wider use in agriculture is limited by inherent physicochemical challenges, including photodegradation, oxidation, volatility, poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and fleeting residual activity under field conditions. Recent nanotechnology innovations offer new possibilities for addressing these issues by enabling the creation of nanoengineered botanical pesticide systems. Unlike antimicrobial nanoparticles that rely on nanoparticle toxicity for activity, these nanoformulations use nanocarriers as delivery platforms to improve stability, transport, release, and accessibility of plant-based bioactive compounds at target sites.This review critically explores the development of botanical pesticides, tracing their progression from traditional plant extracts to sophisticated nano-enabled crop protection systems. It emphasizes the mechanistic aspects of nano-engineered formulations, such as nanoencapsulation, physicochemical defense against environmental stresses, controlled-release behaviour, enhanced interaction with targets, and improved biological activity. The roles of polymeric nanoparticles, lipid carriers, chitosan nanoparticles, protein nanocarriers, and nanoemulsion systems are compared in terms of formulation stability, release profiles, and pesticidal effectiveness. Data from laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies are integrated to evaluate the practical application of nano-enhanced botanical formulations for controlling insect pests, phytopathogenic fungi, bacteria, and nematodes.This review also explores crucial translational issues such as the standardization of formulations, manufacturing scale-up, environmental safety evaluation, and regulatory challenges. By clearly differentiating nano-engineered botanical delivery systems from innate antimicrobial nanomaterials and including mechanistic, translational, and sustainability viewpoints, it offers a comprehensive framework for the future of nano-enabled botanical pesticides in sustainable farming. The integration of plant-based bioactives with cutting-edge nanocarrier technologies presents a promising route to decrease reliance on synthetic pesticides, while enhancing efficacy, environmental safety, and long-term agricultural resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100340"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-07-30DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100331
Dipayan Ghosh, Bhanu Prakash
{"title":"Comparative assessment of foliar application of iron sulfate, chitosan, and chitosan-enriched iron oxide nanoparticles on morpho-physiological traits, flower productivity and antioxidant defense in Matricaria chamomilla L.","authors":"Dipayan Ghosh, Bhanu Prakash","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Matricaria chamomilla</em> L. (Asteraceae) is a high-value aromatic herb, due to its inherent functional properties and aromatic flavour. In recent years, the demand for chamomile flowers has increased tremendously due to their wide application in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, leading to intentional and unintentional adulteration of the raw herb. Thus, the market faces a substantial gap between demand and supply. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of iron sulfate (Fe), chitosan (CH), and chitosan-enriched iron oxide nanoparticles (NP) at various concentrations (50, 100, 250, and 500 ppm) on the floral productivity, agro-morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits of <em>M. chamomilla</em> L. Further, chitosan-enriched iron nanoparticles (NP) were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized by TEM, FTIR, XRD, and XPS. The results showed significant variation among treatments for growth, floral yield, pigment, and antioxidant metabolites. Among all treatments, applications of nanoparticle, at NP-250 and NP-500, exhibited superior enhancement in biomass accumulation, flower yield, chlorophyll content, flavonoids, phenolics, and antioxidant enzyme activities, including SOD, catalase, and peroxidase. In contrast, control and lower-dose treatments showed comparatively reduced metabolic and growth responses. The findings suggest that NPs serve as an efficient plant growth promoter and bio-stimulant for the sustainable cultivation of chamomile, with improved floral productivity compared to individual iron sulfate and chitosan salts. This study highlights the potential of chitosan-enriched iron oxide nanoparticles (NP) as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers to boost plant growth and floral productivity in medicinal and aromatic plants, thereby enhancing agricultural sustainability and crop production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100331"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148738331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100324
Ritu Gill, Sapna Grewal, Juan Francisco Jimenez-Bremont, Anca Macovei, Faheem Ahmed, Sarvajeet Singh Gill
{"title":"Nanoparticles and plant soil health under changing environment","authors":"Ritu Gill, Sapna Grewal, Juan Francisco Jimenez-Bremont, Anca Macovei, Faheem Ahmed, Sarvajeet Singh Gill","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>Nanoparticles enhance soil health, nutrient use efficiency and crop resilience under climate change.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Nano-fertilizers and biostimulants improve plant growth, abiotic stress tolerance and sustainable productivity.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Nanoparticle interaction with plants and soil microbes support ecosystem function and soil fertility.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>Risk assessment and long-term field studies ensure safe and sustainable agricultural nanotechnology.</div></span></li></ul></div><div><span><figure><span><img><ol><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download high-res image (220KB)</span></span></span></li><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download full-size image</span></span></span></li></ol></span></figure></span></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100324"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Micro- and nanoplastics across the plant-food-human continuum: Plant uptake, phytotoxicity, food safety, human-health implications, and mitigation strategies","authors":"Huixin Shao, Hongli Cao, Kai Zhang, Huiyi Wang, Shiyi Chen, Qingqing Li, Dingxi Bao, Liyong Luo, Liang Zeng, Chuan Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Micro- and nanoplastics (M/NPs) are accumulating in agricultural environments, raising concerns about crop performance, food quality, and dietary exposure. Building on earlier reviews of environmental occurrence, plant uptake, and phytotoxicity, this review critically evaluates evidence relevant to the environment-plant-food-human continuum and organizes it around exposure determinants, plant response pathways, and potential intervention points. We first examine how particle size, surface charge, polymer type, exposure route, and plant traits influence M/NP bioavailability, root and foliar uptake, and vascular transport. We then relate these processes to changes in seed germination, growth, photosynthesis, crop quality, and rhizosphere microbiota, and summarize the associated responses involving redox homeostasis, phenylpropanoid and cell-wall metabolism, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, hormone signaling, amino acid metabolism, nutrient homeostasis, and genomic integrity. Evidence for M/NP occurrence in edible tissues and trophic transfer is critically assessed; however, quantitative measurements of internal polymer burdens and plant-derived dietary exposure remain scarce, and adverse human-health implications are inferred mainly from cell and animal studies. Finally, mitigation approaches are evaluated at two levels: reducing plant exposure through rhizosphere management, soil amendments, nutrient regulation, agricultural source control, and ecological interception; and reducing household exposure through changes in drinking water, food preparation, textiles, and dietary practices. The available evidence remains constrained by non-standardized detection methods, simplified model particles, high exposure concentrations, and limited field and human validation. Future work should prioritize standardized measurements, environmentally realistic chronic exposures, and causal evaluation of transfer and mitigation across the plant-food-human pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100338"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100339
Sadiya Arefin Juthee, Md. Hosenuzzaman, Md. Alamgir Hossain, Muhammed Ali Hossain, Mohammad Golam Kibria, Zakaria M. Solaiman, Md. Abdullah Al Noman, Syed Sakib Thamid, Writam Saha, Bushra Benta Rahman
{"title":"Green-synthesized silver and copper nanoparticle–mediated seed priming enhances mustard (Brassica campestris L.) seedling growth by suppressing seed-borne Alternaria brassicicola","authors":"Sadiya Arefin Juthee, Md. Hosenuzzaman, Md. Alamgir Hossain, Muhammed Ali Hossain, Mohammad Golam Kibria, Zakaria M. Solaiman, Md. Abdullah Al Noman, Syed Sakib Thamid, Writam Saha, Bushra Benta Rahman","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100339","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100339","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alternaria leaf spot disease is a major constraint in mustard cultivation, causing substantial reductions in crop yield. To control Alternaria leaf spot caused by <em>Alternaria brassicicola</em>, novel silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were synthesized using nontoxic, biodegradable guava leaf extracts, which serve as both capping/stabilizing and reducing agent. The green-synthesized CuNPs and AgNPs were characterized and confirmed using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Six concentrations of AgNPs (10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mg/L) and four concentrations of CuNPs (20, 40, 80, and 100 mg/L) were applied as seed priming treatments. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The in vitro assays assessed antifungal activity against <em>A. brassicicola</em>, while in vivo seed-priming experiments evaluated growth promotion and phytotoxic thresholds. The in vitro study showed that AgNPs (1000 mg/L) and CuNPs (100 mg/L) exhibited significantly higher pathogen-inhibitory activity (99.71% and 95.76%) and induced greater oxidative stress compared with the control group<em>.</em> However, considering plant-nanoparticle interactions, the optimum concentrations of AgNPs and CuNPs were 100 mg/L AgNPs and 40 mg/L CuNPs, which significantly inhibited the growth of <em>A. brassicicola</em> (97.11% and 88.90%). Microscopic observations and biochemical assays confirmed fungal inhibition, as evidenced by hyphal deformation, reduced conidia production, and elevated oxidative stress relative to the control. An in vivo study revealed that AgNPs at 100 mg/L and CuNPs at 40 mg/L exhibited the most pronounced nonphytotoxic effects, significantly improving germination percentage (by 49.51% and 54.66%) compared with the untreated control. Moreover, seed priming with 100 mg/L AgNPs and 40 mg/L CuNPs markedly increased shoot length (37.93% and 35.34%), root length (105% and 40%), dry weight (67.80% and 59.15%), total chlorophyll content (93.81% and 81.45%), protein content (28.46% and 36.15%), and total soluble sugar (18.40% and 9.91%) relative to the control. Furthermore, seed priming with 100 mg/L AgNPs and 40 mg/L CuNPs was identified as the optimal treatment, effectively modulating reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde) while enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities (ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, catalase, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity). These findings suggest that seed priming with CuNPs and AgNPs provides a promising strategy for managing Alternaria leaf spot in mustard while promoting healthy seedling growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100339"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plant Nano BiologyPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-08-03DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2026.100335
Shina Sun, Hui Feng, Jie Wang, Jie Huang
{"title":"AI-assisted plant nanotechnology as a new paradigm for intelligent agriculture","authors":"Shina Sun, Hui Feng, Jie Wang, Jie Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plana.2026.100335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool for plant gene delivery and agricultural production, but it also faces bottlenecks such as long development cycles of materials and uncertain biological compatibility. With the rapid advances in machine learning and dynamic modeling, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping diverse scientific disciplines and recent studies suggest that AI has the potential to further optimize nanomaterials design and application. Here, we discuss how AI-assisted strategies facilitate intelligent nanocarriers design, customized nanofertilizers and pesticide delivery, as well as advanced nanosensing platforms for precision agriculture, while also introducing AI-assisted design and optimization of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers for plant health and microbiome management, and highlighting key challenges such as limited data availability, model interpretability, and transferability to field conditions. We further outline future directions for the development of AI-powered plant nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101029,"journal":{"name":"Plant Nano Biology","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100335"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148738275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}