Nanomaterials for Targeted Delivery of Agrochemicals by an All-in-One Combination Strategy and Deep Learning

Abstract

The development of modern agriculture has prompted the greater input of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. However, precision release and targeted delivery of these agrochemicals still remain a challenge. Here, a pesticide-fertilizer all-in-one combination (PFAC) strategy and deep learning are employed to form a system for controlled and targeted delivery of agrochemicals. This system mainly consists of three components: (1) hollow mesoporous silica (HMS), to encapsulate herbicides and phase-change material; (2) polydopamine (PDA) coating, to provide a photothermal effect; and (3) a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF8), to provide micronutrient Zn2+ and encapsulate insecticides. Results show that the PFAC at concentration of 5 mg mL–1 reaches the phase transition temperature of 1-tetradecanol (37.5 °C) after 5 min of near-infrared (NIR) irradiation (800 nm, 0.5 W cm–2). The data of corn and weed are collected and relayed to deep learning algorithms for model building to realize object detection and further targeted weeding. In-field treatment results indicated that the growth of chicory herb was significantly inhibited when treated with the PFAC compared with the blank group after 24 h under NIR irradiation for 2 h. This system combines agrochemical innovation and artificial intelligence technology, achieves synergistic effects of weeding and insecticide and nutrient supply, and will potentially achieve precision and sustainable agriculture.

Nanomaterials and nanotechnology for the delivery of agrochemicals: strategies towards sustainable agriculture

“…The integrated system of pesticides and fertilizers constructed with NMs and nanotechnology can achieve the co-delivery of pesticides and fertilizers, which is of great potential in reducing labor cost and giving full play to the synergistic effects of fertilizers and pesticides [ 96 ].…”

Machine Learning to Predict the Interfacial Behavior of Pesticide Droplets on Hydrophobic Surfaces for Minimizing Environmental Risk

“…To explore the influence of different wetting parameters on the impacting process during the wetting process, the relationship between two physical quantities is established by machine learning in Figure 5A−C. 41 It can be seen from Figure 5A,B that the surface tension and CA are negatively correlated with the ability to inhibit impacting, and the adhesion tension and spreading coefficient are positively correlated. The CA and adhesion tension are more relevant than others.…”

A pH Dual-Responsive Multifunctional Nanoparticle Based on Mesoporous Silica with Metal-Polymethacrylic Acid Gatekeeper for Improving Plant Protection and Nutrition

“…As is generally known, inorganic metal ions (Fe 3+ , Mg 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) play an important role in the growth of plants, and they have been widely used as plant nutritional agents in agriculture [17,[29][30][31]. The multifunctional metal cross-linked nanocomplex was fabricated through a coordination-bond interaction between inorganic metal ions and carriers, delivering nutrient substances to favor the growth of plants [31][32][33]. Polymethacrylic acid (PMAA), which is a functional polymer rich in carboxyl groups (−COOH), has been extensively used as a gatekeeper for pH response.…”