Nanoengineered particles for sustainable crop production: potentials and challenges

Nanoengineered nanoparticles have a significant impact on the morphological, physiology, biochemical, cytogenetic, and reproductive yields of agricultural crops. Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles like Ag, Au, Cu, Zn, Ti, Mg, Mn, Fe, Mo, etc. and ZnO, TiO₂, CuO, SiO₂, MgO, MnO, Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O_4, etc. that found entry into agricultural land, alter the morphological, biochemical and physiological system of crop plants. And the impacts on these parameters vary based on the type of crop and nanoparticles, doses of nanoparticles and its exposure situation or duration, etc. These nanoparticles have application in agriculture as nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanoremediator, nanobiosensor, nanoformulation, phytostress-mediator, etc. The challenges of engineered metal and metal oxide nanoparticles pertaining to soil pollution, phytotoxicity, and safety issue for food chains (human and animal safety) need to be understood in detail. This review provides a general overview of the applications of nanoparticles, their potentials and challenges in agriculture for sustainable crop production.