Potential and Risk of Nanotechnology Application in Agriculture vis-à-vis Nanomicronutrient Fertilizers

Nanotechnology had a wide potential of its novel applications in the fields of plant nutrition to meet the future demands of the growing population because nanoparticles (NPs) have unique physicochemical properties, i.e., high surface area, high reactivity, tunable pore size, and particle morphology. Management of optimum nutrients for sustainable crop production is a priority area of research in agriculture. In this regard, nanonutrition concerns with the provision of nanosized nutrients for sustainable crop production. The application of nanomaterials for delivery of nutrients and growth-promoting compounds to plants has become more and more popular and their utilization at the proper place, at the proper time, in the proper amount and of the proper composition affects the use efficacy of fertilizers. Using this technology, we can increase the efficiency of micronutrients delivery to plants. In the literature, various NPs and nanomaterials (NMs) have been successfully used for better nutrition of crop plants compared to the conventional fertilizers. This review summarizes the synthesis of nanofertilizers, characterization of nanofertilizers, NPs, and NMs as micronutrient fertilizers and describing their role in improving growth and yield of crops, uptake, translocation, and fate of nanofertilizers in plants and environmental hazard of NPs and NMs application.