Nanotechnology for Sustainable Crop Production

The continuous growth in global population poses higher demand for food and unprecedented challenges in agriculture, including enhancing the utilisation efficiency of natural inputs (e.g., fertilisers and seeds), reducing the negative effects during crop production (e.g., soil degradation and chemical contamination), and improving the effectiveness of crop packaging while minimising the waste generation. Rapid progress in nanotechnology offers game-changing solutions to these challenges. A prominent example is nanotechnology provides viable means to more precisely and efficiently deliver fertilisers and pesticides. Engineered nanomaterials can boost crop growth by promoting photosynthesis and inhibiting various pathogens owing to their antimicrobial properties. Moreover, packaging films hybridised with nanoparticles demonstrate reinforced mechanical, antibacterial, and gas-proof capabilities, maximally preserving crop freshness.