Multifunctional nanoparticles and nano-enabled pesticides: a sustainable nanotechnology based pest management...

Chemical pesticides have been widely used to control pests in the crop yields and promote traditional farming. However, the excessive use and improper management of chemical pests causes environmental and health issues including the increase of resistant pest species, accumulation of pesticide traces in food, and contamination of soil and water. Nanotechnology has emerged as a possible crop protection frontier as traditional pesticides increasingly fail to fulfil the demands of precision and sustainable agriculture. Nano-pesticides are effective solutions for contemporary pest management because of their novel benefits, which include increased stability, biodegradability, targeted administration, higher bioavailability, less off-target impacts, and controlled release. This review discusses the most recent developments and effectiveness of nano-pesticides as sustainable strategy for traditional agriculture. It gives an overview of their synthesis, classifications, modes of action, pesticidal efficacy, and safety assessments. Nano-agrochemical pesticides are beneficial due to their co-delivery systems with agrochemical ingredients, multi-stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, and combining nano-formulations with biological control agents. Here, this review also focused on the potential risks of nano-pesticides due to their size, surface area, enhanced reactivity. Highlights the transformation of nanotechnology and its role in sustainable traditional agriculture.