Table 2.
Examples of the Current Use of Nanomaterials in Agriculture and Related Processes
| Type of product | Purpose | Nanocontent | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant growth treatment | Increase the potency of active ingredients, potentially reducing the quantity to be applied. | Nanoemulsions (∼100 nm). | Barati (2010) Pandey et al. (2010) |
| Nanotech delivery systems | Delivering pesticides, fertilizers, and other agrochemicals. | Nanocapsules. | Perea-de-Lugue and Rubilaes (2009) Mukal et al. (2009) Maysinger et al. (2007) |
| Nanosensors for soil health | Monitoring of soil conditions and crop growth. | NPs and quantum dots. | Guere (2011) Scott (2002) |
| Delivering agents | Delivering DNA to plants. | Mesoporous Si NPs (3 nm). | Torney et al. (2007) |
| Agri-waste management products | Recycling of agricultural wastes using newly developed solvents and a technique called electrospinning. Fertilizer or pesticide absorbents. | Nanofibers (∼100 nm) produced from cotton fiber. | Lang (2003) |
| Biofuel production and processes | Catalyst to provide simple and cost-effective conversion of cellulose from waste plant parts into ethanol. | NPs (metal or metal oxide) of different size as catalyst. | Liou and Wu (2010) |
| Nanobarcodes and nanoprocessing | Monitoring the quality of agricultural procedures. Tagging pathogens in farmlands. | Microscopic probes (nanobarcodes) that could tag multiple pathogens in a farm, which can be detected using any fluorescent-based equipment. | Li et al. (2005) |