A carbon dot toolbox for managing biotic and abiotic stresses in crop production systems

The productivity of global crop production is under threat caused by various biotic and abiotic adverse conditions, such as plant diseases and pests, which are responsible for 20%–40% of global crop losses estimated at a value of USD 220 billion, and can be further exacerbated by climate change. Agricultural industries are calling for game-changer technologies to enable productive and sustainable farming. Carbon dots (C-dots) are carbon-based nanoparticles, smaller than 50 nm, exhibiting unique opto-electro-properties. They have been shown to have positive impact on managing diverse biotic and abiotic stresses faced by the crops. Owing to their versatile carbon chemistry, the surface functionalities of C-dots can be readily tuned to regulate plant physiological processes. This review is focussed on establishing the correlations between the physiochemical properties of C-dots and their impacts on plants growth and health. The summary of the literature demonstrates that C-dots hold great promise in improving plant tolerance to heat, drought, toxic chemicals, and invading pathogens.