Panorama of biogenic nano-fertilizers: A road to sustainable agriculture

The ever-increasing demand for food from the growing population has augmented the consumption of fertilizers in global agricultural practices. However, the excessive usage of chemical fertilizers with poor efficacy is drastically deteriorating ecosystem health through the degradation of soil fertility by diminishing soil microflora, environment contamination, and human health by inducing chemical remnants to the food chain. These challenges have been addressed by the integration of nanotechnological and biotechnological approaches resulting in nano-enabled biogenic fertilizers (NBF), which have revolutionized agriculture sector and food production. This review critically details the state-of-the-art NBF production, types, and mechanism involved in cultivating crop productivity/quality with insights into genetic, physiological, morphological, microbiological, and physiochemical attributes. Besides, it explores the associated challenges and future routes to promote the adoption of NBF for intelligent and sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, diverse applications of nanotechnology in precision agriculture including plant biosensors and its impact on agribusiness and environmental management are discussed.

Automated summary

The increasing demand for food due to population growth has led to higher consumption of fertilizers in global agriculture. However, excessive use of inefficient chemical fertilizers is negatively impacting ecosystem health, soil fertility, environmental contamination, and human health. To address these challenges, nanotechnological and biotechnological approaches have been integrated to develop nano-enabled biogenic fertilizers (NBF), revolutionizing the agriculture sector and food production.