Nanotechnology & Agriculture

Farming Science

As the world continues to battle new challenges like a rising population, climate change, urbanization, and the sustainable use of natural resources, world agriculture now has the somewhat daunting task of facing these challenges head-on whilst increasing overall production by about 60%. Nanotechnology is now at a point where it is poised to help modernize the agricultural process on a global scale and propel farming efficiency into a new age. It will do this by offering new techniques for fertilizer delivery, waste reduction, creating sustainable water use, controlling pest problems and remediating heavily polluted soil, among others. Here are just a few of the areas now being studied:

Enhanced Delivery

Nanoscale carriers are unique in that they offer controlled release, better storage properties and efficient delivery of herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers and plant growth regulators. This is done by using encapsulation and entrapment, polymers and dendrimers, and surface ionic and weak bond attachments. Currently, up to 70% of conventional pesticides do not reach their target due to their unstable nature in the environment, but with hollow and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (like the ones observed below taken with the LVEM 5 in SEM mode), it is possible to effectively carry nanopesticides with greater stability and timed release, ensuring the pesticides get to where they need to be without harming the plants. It has also been observed that when citric acid molecules were combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, certain pesticides were made more effective against particular strains of fungi, eliminating the threat. Nanoscale carriers and their smart delivery systems could help reduce overall costs and drastically increase productivity around the farm, but only time will tell.

Sustainable Water Use

Water is a commodity that will need to be used sparingly as the world’s population continues to grow, so biodegradable Nano-polymer hydrogels are being used in agriculture in the effort to create more sustainable water use. These silver coated nano-clay composites are known as “Super Absorbent Polymers”, or SAP’s, and contain hydrophilic properties allowing the polymer to hold 400-1500 g of water per dry gram of hydrogel. When these silver coated hydrogels are added into the soil, it was observed that they could store 130-190 times their own weight in water and then slowly release this water when conditions once again became dry. The use of these hydrogels could prove to be very promising in areas that are especially dry and arid. Here is what hydrogels look like taken with the LVEM 5 in TEM mode.

Seeds

The nanotechnology treatment of seeds will see seeds germinating faster and steadier with increased resilience to environmental stressors. One study of seeds coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles yielded a 93%-100% germination rate as compared to just 80% with uncoated seeds and coated seeds are positioned as a favorable alternative cost-effective option to the water-soluble zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) fertilizer. In another study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been used to penetrate the plant seed coat and increase the germination rate of the tomato seed by supporting water uptake inside the seeds. Seeds treated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles also show promise, displaying 3 times higher vitamin content and larger vegetable yields and crops with 90% more resistance to draught. These will eventually be the superseeds of tomorrow, and tools like the LVEM 5 electron microscope will help pave the way for these seeds to produce the crops of the future!

The Challenges

The future looks promising with all the new nanotechnological developments for agriculture underway, but as it often goes with great progress, what closely follows is great uncertainty and challenge. Toxicity levels of nanoparticles, new nano-regulations and worldwide adoption of new agricultural protocols are some of the major hurdles that nano-agriculture will be looking to overcome in the years to come. It is an uphill battle, but one that will definitely be worth the climb in the long run.