Vital roles of sustainable nano-fertilizers in improving plant quality and quantity-an updated review

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Nanofertilizer Possibilities for Healthy Soil, Water, and Food in Future: An Overview

“…The principal mechanism for nutrient accumulation and distribution from the soil to the aerial parts of plant tissues are diffusion and bulk (mass) flow. Diffusion is the transfer of minerals along a concentration gradient from cell to cell (Marschner, 2011 ), while the bulk flow is found to be the pressure-driven distribution of solutes-water via xylem regulated by transpiration and soil nutrient availability (Lawlor et al, 2004 ; Zulfiqar et al, 2019 ; El-Saadony et al, 2021 ). The accumulation of NPs is associated with several ways of absorption/uptake via aerial surface, roots, grains, interacting atmospheric variables, rigidity of cell wall, and physiological, anatomical, and biochemical activities of the plant species/cultivars (Rajput et al, 2018a , 2021c ; Mittal et al, 2020 ).…”

“…NPs also pass-through root hairs (symplastic and apoplastic) to the xylem to reach the stem/leaves (Mittal et al, 2020 ). The use of NFs induces a considerable rise in the physiological and biochemical indices in crop plants (Rajput et al, 2021a ) with improved chlorophyll content/SPAD units in sunflower (Pirvulescua et al, 2015 ), and also in maize, it is found to be correlated with plant productivity (Morteza et al, 2013 ; Zulfiqar et al, 2019 ; El-Saadony et al, 2021 ) associated with upgraded leaf capacity to capture sunlight, RuBisCO activity, photosynthetic CO 2 assimilation (Gao et al, 2006 ; Yang and Hong, 2006 ; Janmohammadi et al, 2016 ; Fellet et al, 2021 ), plant performance, nitrogen metabolism, and soluble proteins.…”

“…Plants suffer from a lack of essential minerals, membrane injury, and enzyme inhibition due to ionic and osmotic stressors (Hasanuzzaman et al, 2013a ; Adisa et al, 2019 ). Salinity reduces the plant water availability, nutrient uptake, productivity, and grain/fruit quality (Grattan and Grieve, 1999 ), while cocultivation of crops with NPs extends better growth and development (El-Saadony et al, 2021 ) with enzymatic activities of POD, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and CAT which scavenge ROS (Upadhyaya et al, 2015 ; El-Saadony et al, 2021 ). Foliar spray of ZnO and Fe 3 O 4 NPs-containing Hoagland solution may mitigate salinity stress in Moringa peregrina (Soliman et al, 2015 ; Wang et al, 2018 ; Fellet et al, 2021 ) with reduced stomatal conductance.…”

“…The ever-increasing population and limited cultivable agricultural regions have resulted in new farming agro-technologies to sustain agricultural production and protection worldwide (Rodrigues et al, 2017 ; Adisa et al, 2019 ; Rajput et al, 2021a ; Verma et al, 2022 ), as present global human population 7.6 billion may reach 8.6, 9.8 billion by 2030 and 2050, respectively, also projected approximately 11.2 billion by the end of 21st century with serious consequences on world food demand (United Nations, 2017 ). Growth in affluence and low and middle developed nations is anticipated to expedite a dietary shift away from cereals toward meat, fruits, and vegetables (FAO, 2017 ; Adisa et al, 2019 ; Fellet et al, 2021 ) to produce more food under limited resources (King, 2017 ; El-Saadony et al, 2021 ; Rajput et al, 2021a ) with loss in larger quantity in developing nations during manufacturing and supply chains due to the unavailability of infrastructure, equipment, and technologies (Kah et al, 2019 ; Wu and Li, 2022 ).…”

The Individual and Combined Effect of Nanoparticles and Biofertilizers on Growth, Yield, and Biochemical Attributes of Peanuts (Arachis hypogea L.)

“…As a result, to produce a long-term yield, the availability of mineral nutrients is critical for improving oilseed crop output and quality [30,31]. Considering the importance of biofertilizers and NPs, this research was conducted to investigate the individual and combined effects of seed inoculation with biofertilizers (mycorrhizae and phosphorine) and the exogenous application of nanoparticles (B and Ca) on the growth metrics, seed production, yield components, and quality of peanuts grown in the sandy soil.…”