Nanomaterial mediated genome engineering for sustainable food production: Current status and future prospects

Nanotechnology finds diverse applications in various fields including agriculture to increase food production as well as alleviate biotic and abiotic stress. Due to their unique physiochemical prop-erties, nanoparticles have been projected to be used as vehicles for carrying DNA and genetic transformation. Plant genetic engineering is a promising tool to enhance crop productivity and address global challenges of meeting food demand of expanding population. Despite many ad-vancements in plant genetic engineering, many crop species remain difficult to transform using conventional methods like Agrobacterium mediated & biolistic gene gun delivery method. Use of nanoparticles can potentially overcome the limitations posed by conventional genetic transfor-mation methods. This review aims to provide comprehensive information regarding physiochem-ical properties of nanoparticles. Recent advances in use and application of different nanomateri-als for genetic transformation along with various challenges like nanoparticle phytotoxicity, and understanding of nanobiointerface interactions, are discussed. Additionally, potential toxicity and food safety issues associated with nanoparticles, when used as genetic cargo delivery system, are also highlighted.