Sustainable Food Security Through Nanotechnology-Based Seed Priming in Rice and Wheat

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nano-priming is a novel technology for improving seed germination, vigor, and stress tolerance in cereal grains.
• It also enhances nutrient uptake, particularly in rice and wheat.
• This study provides a bibliometric analysis of global research on nano-priming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the intellectual, geographic, and collaborative structure of nano-priming research globally.
• To identify dominant research hubs, subject areas, and publication trends.
• To synthesize key findings on nanomaterials and their impact on crop physiology.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 6302 publications from the Scopus database (November 2025).
• Refinement of the dataset using strict inclusion-exclusion criteria.
• Mapping of country-level productivity, subject areas, publication trajectories, and co-authorship networks.

Main Results:

• Global publication distribution is skewed, with China, India, and Pakistan as major hubs.
• Agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, materials science, and nanotechnology are dominant interdisciplinary contributors.
• Annual publications show exponential growth since 2013, driven by nanotechnology-enabled crop improvement.

Conclusions:

• Nano-priming research shows dense collaborative clusters in South and East Asia.
• Key nanomaterials include zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, silver, iron oxide, chitosan, and carbon-based materials.
• Nanotechnology-based seed treatments offer a sustainable approach to enhance crop productivity and food security.