Harnessing magnesium nanoparticles for enhanced crop growth and stress mitigation

Mg-based nanoparticles have the potential to improve plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, metabolites, nutrients' acquisition, and antioxidant defense system. They can increase plant tolerance by mitigating abiotic and biotic stresses and may provide sustainable solutions to agricultural output. Magnesium (Mg) is one of the important macronutrients and a significant cofactor for numerous biological activities of living organisms. It is crucial for plant development and important for metabolic functions, such as photosynthesis, since it is the central atom of the chlorophyll molecule and thus has a direct impact on trapping and converting light energy. Magnesium containing nanoparticles (Mg NPs) have been explored as a potential approach to improve crop yield and enhance stress tolerance in plants. Because of their physicochemical characteristics, such as small size, high surface area, and high reactivity, Mg NPs have demonstrated great promise in agriculture. Mg NPs are favored compared to other NPs, because Mg is non-toxic and biologically essential. Mg NPs play a major role in enhancing agronomic characteristics, nutrient acquisition, photosynthetic productivity, secondary metabolites, and antioxidant defense system. Mg NPs are capable of neutralizing abiotic and biotic stresses through interaction with plant growth hormones, signal transduction, nutrient uptake regulation, and stress-responsive pathways. They possess antibacterial, antifungal, and nematocidal action by inhibiting plant pathogens and suppressing disease occurrence. Mg NPs also induce the growth and activity of plant growth-promoting soil microorganisms, thus promoting plant growth. However, high concentrations of Mg NPs may reduce crop yield, likely due to NP-induced oxidative stress. This review highlights the role of Mg NPs in plants, including their impact on metal translocation, nutrient and metabolite acquisition, agronomic characteristics, antioxidant defense, stress alleviation, and growth and activity of beneficial microorganisms in soil. It also discusses future prospects, challenges, and risks involved in the application of Mg-based nanomaterials to sustainable agriculture.