Can Nanomaterials Improve the Soil Microbiome and Crop Productivity?

Abstract

Global issues such as soil deterioration, pollution, and soil productivity loss induced by industrialization and intensive agriculture pose a serious danger to agricultural production and sustainability. Numerous technical breakthroughs have been applied to clean up soil or boost the output of damaged soils, but they have failed to restore or improve soil health to desired levels owing to expense, impossibility in a practical setting, or, to a lesser extent, high labor consumption. Recent nanotechnology advancements promise to improve soil quality indicators and crop yields while ensuring environmental sustainability. As previously discovered, the inclusion of nanomaterials (NMs) in soils could manipulate rhizospheric microbes or agriculturally important microbes and improve their functionality, facilitating the availability of nutrients to plants and improving root systems and crop growth in general, opening a new window for soil health improvement. A viewpoint on the difficulties and long-term outcomes of applying NMs to soils is provided, along with detailed statistics on how nanotechnology can improve soil health and crop productivity. Thus, evaluating nanotechnology may be valuable in gaining insights into the practical use of NMs for soil health enhancement.

Unlocking the Potential of Nano-Enabled Precision Agriculture for Efficient and Sustainable Farming

“…Nanoparticles delivered to the plant through the rhizosphere have to pass through diverse microbial biofilms and varying soil factors that influence nanoparticles dissolution, coating, agglomeration, and bioavailability, as corroborated by [83]. Nanoparticles affect the soil environment, triggering nutrient mineralization and mobilization through numerous integrated mechanisms mediated by plant root exudates, soil organic matter, and rhizospheric bacteria [84]. The interplay between nanoparticles and rhizobacteria can improve soil productivity and plant performance under challenging environmental conditions and assist in developing environmentally safe nano-formulations for agricultural applications (Figure 1).…”

Nano-Enhanced Microbial Remediation of PAHs Contaminated Soil

“…Nano-remediation technology suggests numerous potentials, particularly PAHs polluted soil remediation and reduced other hazardous pollutants for the safe and clean land and overall environmental benefits. The application of nano-remediation technology greatly improved the water and soil quality by reducing pollutants which results high yield products, vegetation, and enhance survival of indigenous microbes (Rajput et al, 2023). Another environmental benefit of using this technology is that it prohibits the leaching of hazardous compounds from the soil to ground water and limits the contamination.…”

Synergistic interactions of nanoparticles and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria enhancing soil-plant systems: a multigenerational perspective

“…Adding specific substances to the soil enhances its capacity to sustain plant life ( Urra et al., 2019 ; Rubin et al., 2023 ; Kumari et al., 2023b ). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and nanomaterials (NMs) or nanoparticles (NPs) are under consideration as a novel approach to boost crop productivity and soil fertility ( El-Ramady et al., 2022 ; Upadhayay et al., 2023 ; Rajput et al., 2023a ; Kumari et al., 2024 ). Several research studies have demonstrated numerous benefits that soil organic amendments may provide, including better soil texture, higher soil fertility, restored soil health, and, ultimately, higher crop yield ( Urra et al., 2019 ; Rani et al., 2023 ).…”