Potential Application of Carbon Dots for Sustainable Agriculture: Current Challenges and Future Prospects

The depletion of arable land, water scarcity, frequent climate fluctuations, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, inefficiencies in pesticide usage, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which disrupted global supplies of fertilisers, have collectively heightened crop strain and reduced agricultural productivity. In this regard, to overcome these agriculture problems, adopting a sustainable approach for agricultural production plays a significant role in ensuring global food security. Carbon dots, a novel member of the carbon-based nanomaterial's family with extraordinary properties such as chemical stability, water solubility, low cytotoxicity, small size, biocompatibility, and photoluminescence, have recently attracted attention in agriculture sectors. The abundant hydrophilic functional groups on the surface of carbon dots, together with their small size and structural features, provide several advantages, such as increased crop growth, improved photosynthesis, stress tolerance, and accelerated seed germination. Carbon dots have also shown impressive advantages in nutrient uptake, and acting as sensors for pesticides, herbicides, and nutrients. Furthermore, carbon dots facilitate precise gene delivery into plant cells creating opportunities for genetic improvement and also enhance post-harvest preservation. This review highlights the potential of carbon dots in the field of agriculture, covering their classification, source of synthesis, and their diverse applications in the field of agriculture. While their potential is vast, further research is essential to address toxicological concerns and environmental impacts to ensure their safe and effective integration into agricultural system. Lastly, the limitations and future perspectives are outlined, which need to be focused on promoting the potential application of carbon dots in the agricultural sector.