Agricultural Nanotechnologies: Future Perspectives of Bio-inspired Materials

Abstract

Bio-inspired designs have been used by humankind in understanding and modelling novel materials which have applications in diverse fields like disease diagnostics, drug delivery, agriculture, energy storage, industry, etc. Superhydrophobicity, directional adhesion, structural colour, self-cleaning, antireflection, etc. are some of the useful attributes for which we have relied a lot on nano level biomimetics. Bioinspired nanolevel designs have been explored in the field of agriculture too. Such nanomaterials and nanodesigns have been used to increase crop yields. They also find uses in fertilizer application and replacement of many harmful chemical pesticides, which are generally overused. Increasing population, increased longevity of people and the urgent need for sustainable environment have led to a dire need for exploration and adaptation of such novel technologies which can help in feeding the growing population. Nanoscale products and technologies can also help in reducing the accumulation of excess fertilizers, pesticides, etc. in soil, which can go a long way in cleaning up the environment. The current attempt is intended to portray the latest developments and future possibilities of bioinspired NT in diverse fields of agriculture like synthesis and delivery of novel pesticides and fertilizers, nanocarriers for gene delivery, sensors to monitor and assess soil conditions, plant pathogen detection and plant nanobionics to detect pollutants.<br>