Nanotechnology in agri-food production: an overview
By B. S. Sekhon. Nanotechnology, Science and Applications, 2014
793 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Nanotechnology is one of the most important tools in modern agriculture, and agri-food nanotechnology is anticipated to become a driving economic force in the near future. Agri-food themes focus on sustainability and protection of agriculturally produced foods, including crops for human consumption and animal feeding. Nanotechnology provides new agrochemical agents and new delivery mechanisms to improve crop productivity, and it promises to reduce pesticide use. Nanotechnology can boost agricultural production, and its applications include: 1) nanoformulations of agrochemicals for applying pesticides and fertilizers for crop improvement; 2) the application of nanosensors/nanobiosensors in crop protection for the identification of diseases and residues of agrochemicals; 3) nanodevices for the genetic manipulation of plants; 4) plant disease diagnostics; 5) animal health, animal breeding, poultry production; and 6) postharvest management. Precision farming techniques could be used to further improve crop yields but not damage soil and water, reduce nitrogen loss due to leaching and emissions, as well as enhance nutrients long-term incorporation by soil microorganisms. Nanotechnology uses include nanoparticle-mediated gene or DNA transfer in plants for the development of insect-resistant varieties, food processing and storage, nanofeed additives, and increased product shelf life. Nanotechnology promises to accelerate the development of biomass-to-fuels production technologies. Experts feel that the potential benefits of nanotechnology for agriculture, food, fisheries, and aquaculture need to be balanced against concerns for the soil, water, and environment and the occupational health of workers. Raising awareness of nanotechnology in the agri-food sector, including feed and food ingredients, intelligent packaging and quick-detection systems, is one of the keys to influencing consumer acceptance. On the basis of only a handful of toxicological studies, concerns have arisen regarding the safety of nanomaterials, and researchers and companies will need to prove that these nanotechnologies do not have more of a negative impact on the environment.
Subfields: Materials Chemistry
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0c4f1c9ca70409a762204947707ed040cf277021
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In Materials Chemistry
Citations in the corpus
- Influence of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on Germination and Plant Metabolism of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): Preliminary Evidence (2019, background): “As previously mentioned, nanofertilizer application has an edge over conventional fertilizer application due to the controlled release of nutrients, preventing groundwater pollution and eutrophication in freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems [27,28].”
- Nanotechnology in Sustainable Agriculture: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Perspectives (2017, background): “…with use of engineered smart nanotools could be excellent strategy to make a revolution in agricultural practices, and thus reduce and/or eliminate the influence of modern agriculture on the environment as well as to enhance both the quality and quantity of yields (Sekhon, 2014; Liu and Lal, 2015).”
- The current application of nanotechnology in food and agriculture (2018, neutral): “More details can be found in previously published reviews [55,56] a Note: Information is available online through company ' s website.”
- Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers: Emerging Contaminants or Opportunities for Risk Mitigation? (2015, background): “…certainly lead to a revolution in agricultural practices, and could possibly contribute to an important reduction in the impact of modern agriculture on the environment and an improvement in both the quality and quantity of yields (Scott and Chen, 2002; ETC, 2004; Sekhon, 2014; Liu and Lal, 2015).”