Nanofertilizers for Development of Sustainable Agriculture

The increasing pressure of the growing human population has resulted in the realization of the need for sustainable agriculture. The advent of nanotechnology has reduced the use of hazardous chemical fertilizers and in turn has also led to an increased uptake of minerals by plant, leading to better crop growth and yield. In the present review, besides discussing the various types of nanofertilizers used for sustainable agriculture like those containing nanoparticles of metal (Cu, Zn, Fe, Ti, etc.) and their oxides, strategies used to deliver the fertilizers and nanoformulations made for maximum nutrient uptake by the plant are also discussed. The meta-analysis of the studies carried out using CuO, ZnO, Fe2O3, TiO2, and Ag-based nanofertilizers in the last 15 years is done. The analysis revealed that maximum studies using ZnO as nanofertilizer, followed by Fe2O3 nanofertilizer, have reported an increase in weight and length of root and shoot compared to the studies carried out using other nanofertilizers. A strong correlation (0.77-0.94) was observed among the studies reporting changes in plant growth parameters using nanofertilizers. Analysis of the studies also showed that tomato is the crop which has been used to study the effect of most of the nanofertilizers in the last 15 years. In comparison to nonleguminous crops, there are handful studies in leguminous crops with nanofertilizers treatment showing a gap in the use of nanofertilizers in agricultural research. It also focuses on analyzing the advantages and limitation of nanofertilizers used in agriculture.