The document discusses the role of nanotechnology in crop improvement, covering its definition, history, various types of nanoparticles, and their applications in agriculture, including smart delivery systems for fertilizers and pesticides. It emphasizes the benefits of precision farming and nanosensors in enhancing crop yield and health, while also acknowledging potential disadvantages and environmental concerns. Future prospects highlight the need for further research on the interactions of nanomaterials with biological systems and their safety implications.

1. PJTSAU
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
RAJENDRANAGAR
Nanotechnology for Crop Improvement
By : B. Rachana
Chairperson: Dr. K. B. Eswari
(Professor)
Credit Seminar

2. through the slides..
• Introduction
• Definition
• Timeline
• Nano materials
• Approaches used
• Applications of Nanotechnology
• Nanotechnology in INDIA
• Case studies
• Disadvantages of nanotechnology
• Future prospectives

3. How can small
science have
such a BIG
impact ?

4. Nano scale:
From the Greek nanos -
meaning "dwarf”,
this prefix is used in the
metric system to mean
10-9
or
1/1,000,000,000.
INTRODUCTION

6. Nanotechnology
isthe study of
manipulating matter
onan atomicscale.
A Nanometer is
one billionth of a
meter, roughly
the width of three
or four atoms. The
average human
hair is about
25,000
nanometers wide.

7. ~ 2000 Years
Ago
Sulfide nanocrystals used by Greeks and Romans to dye hairs
~ 1000 Years
Ago
Gold nanoparticles of different sizes used to produce different colors in
stained glass windows
1959 “There’s is plenty of room at the bottom” by R. Feynman
1974 Taniguchi used the term nanotechnology for the first time
1981 IBM develops Scanning Tunneling Microscope
1985 “Buckyball” - Scientists at Rice University and University of Sussex discover
C60
1986 • “Engines of Creation” - First book on nanotechnology by K. Eric Drexler.
• Atomic Force Microscope invented by Binnig, Quate and Gerbe
1991 Carbon nanotube discovered by Sumio Iijima
2000 “National Nanotechnology Initiative” launched
(British Standards Institution, 2005)
Time Line of Nanotechnology

8. 10

9. Changes in properties
Bulk scale Nano scale
Si Insulator Conductor
Cu Opaque Transparent
TiO2 White colour colorless
Au Chemically inert Chemically active
Small size (1-100nm)
Large surface to volume ratio
High activity
Change in the chemical and physical properties with respect to
size and shape
CHARACTERISTICS OF NANOPARTICLES
Trivedi, 2008

10. • Nanoparticles are generated
naturally by erosion, fires,
volcanoes and marine wave
action.
• Nanoparticles are also
produced by human activities
such as coal combustion,
vehicle exhaust and weathering
rubber tires.
Engineered NPs (ENPs):
Nanomaterials that are
intentionally produced and
designed with specific
properties related to their
shape, size, surface properties,
and chemistry.

11. Types of Nanoparticles or Engineered NPs
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs):
Allotropes of carbon that have a cylindrical
nanostructure with diameters ranging from <1
nm to 50 nm.
They are categorized as either single-walled
nanotubes (SWNTs) or multi-walled
nanotubes (MWNTs).
CNT used to deliver desired molecules into
the seeds during germination so as to protect
them from the diseases.
Magnetic NPs:
NPs that contain magnetic materials of
elements such as Fe, Ni, Co and their chemical
compounds and used for targeted delivery
using magnetic field gradients.

12. Mesoporous silica NPs (MSNs):
NPs that comprises of a honeycomb-like
porous structure with pore size and
outer particle diameter in the nanometer
range.
This type of NP has hundreds of empty
channels that are capable of
encapsulating or absorbing large
amounts of agrochemicals or bioactive
molecules.
Quantum dots (QDs):
Tiny particles or nanocrystals of a
semiconductor material with diameters
ranging from 2 to 10 nm.
This type of NP can produce a
distinctive fluorescence that can be used
for sub-cellular labelling and imaging.

13. Mesoporous Carbon nanotube Gold nanoparcle Quantum
dot Magnetic nanoparcle silica nanoparticle
Pesticide/herbicide
Fertilizer
DNA
Protein
Activator
Release ‘on demand’
Target-specific delivery
In vivo labeling and imaging
Quantum dot
Fluorescent molecule
Nano carriers Engineered nanoparticle
Carg
o

14. Approaches in Nanotechnology
Top-downApproach
Creating Nano-scale materials
by physically or chemically
breaking down larger materials
Bottom-up Approach
Assembling Nano materials
atom-by-atom or molecule-by
molecule (self assembling)

16. Nanomaterials and Agriculture
•
There has been significant interest in using nanotechnology in
agriculture.
The goals fall into several categories
 Increase production rates and yield
Increase efficiency of resource utilization
Minimize waste production
Nano-based treatment of agricultural waste
Nanosensors
Specific applications include:Nano-
fertilizers, Nano-pesticides
21

21. • Herbicides inside nano particles are
developed that can be timed-released
or have release linked to an
environmental trigger .
• Less herbicide is required to achieve
the weed reduction.
• If the active ingredient is combined
with a smart delivery system, herbicide
will be applied only when necessary
according to the conditions present in
the field.

22. • Use of nanoscale nutrients to suppress crop
disease.
• Amendment protocols necessary to maximize plant
health often vary with the level of infection or
absence of the pathogen.
• Micronutrients are critical in the
defense against crop disease, with
tissue infection inducing a cascade
of reactions commonly resulting in
the production of inhibitory
secondary metabolites.

23. Precision farming
• Bio-Nanotechnology has designed sensors
which give increased sensitivity and earlier
response to environmental changes and linked
into GPS .
• These monitor soil conditions and crop growth
over vast areas. Such sensors have already
been employed in US and Australia

24. • Nano sensors with immobilized bio receptor probes that
are selective for target analyzing molecules .
• Nano-sensors are used to determine the time of crop
harvest, detect crop health and determine microbial or
chemical contamination of the crop.

25. • Nano sensors used to diagnose disease caused
by infecting soil microorganisms, such as
viruses, bacteria and fungi via the quantitative
measurement of differential oxygen
consumption in the respiration (relative activity)
of good microbes and bad microbes in the soil.
(Rai et al., 2012).

26. • Adsorption of nano particles on the clay lattice
prevents fixation of nutrient ions and there by
nutrients brought to the solution.
• Further, nano particles prevent the freely mobile
nutrient ions to get precipitated.
• This process helps to reduce loss of nutrients
while improving fertilizer use efficiency of crops.

27. Bioplastic formulation has been evaluated for use
in film-coating seeds
Bioplastic seed coating was achieved using
procedures and equipment designed for
commercial polymer film-coating of tablets.
Germination of species is unaffected by the thin
bioplastic coating.
Bioplastic coatings contains spores of the plant-
growth promoting fungus, Trichoderma
harzianum, significantly stimulated the growth of
plants.

29. Gene delivery systems are an important area in the
field of Genetic Engineering and nanomedicine.
Possible vectors include viral “shells” or lipid spheres
(Liposomes), which have properties that allow them
to be incorporated into host cells.
Types of gene transfer:
• Polymer based gene transfer
• Liposome gene transfer
• Biobeads gene transfer (Micrometer-
sized calcium alginate beads)

31. Nano scale devices are envisioned that would have the
capability to detect and treat diseases, nutrient
deficiencies in crop long before symptoms were visually
exhibited.
Smart delivery system for agriculture can possess
timely controlled, spatially targeted, self regulated,
remotely regulated, pre-programmed or multi-functional
characteristics to avoid biological barriers to successful
targeting.

32. NANOFOODS
The food, which is produced
using
nanotechnology called
NANOFOOD (fast-
food, bread, ice-cream etc.)

33. Using materials
Nanotechnologies use a lot of materials in
packaging, such as titanium dioxide, silver,
zinc, silicon dioxide, platinum;
vitamins, minerals, preservatives, probiotics,
bioactive peptides, antioxidants, plant sterols
in food processing.

35. Future Nano Food and Agriculture
• Interactive and
personalised foods
• Edible nano wrappers
• Chemical release
packaging
• Interactive
agrochemicals
• Nano manipulation of
seeds
• More ‘nutraceuticals’

36. Nanotechnology Development in India
National Mission on Nanoscience and Technology
(Nan Mission) launched in May 2007.
The other research centers of nano technology
are:
I. Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO)
II. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
III. Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)
IV. Indian Institute of Science (IISC)

38. • Reddy, Ch Bhargava Rami and Subramanian, K.S.
(2016).
• Asian J. Soil Sci., 11 (1) : 51-57 : DOI :
10.15740/HAS/AJSS/11.1/51-57.
Synthesis and characterization of
nano amendment for effective
remediation of soil acidity.

39. ABSTRACT
• Industrialization and climate change had
increased soil acidity which deteriorated the soil
health and reduced crop productivity through
release of toxic concentrations of Hydrogen,
Aluminium, Manganese and Iron.
• Liming of acid soils that changes the pH from 5.5
to 6.5, rectifies the adverse effects and also
improves the soil fertility.
• In order to optimize the rate of lime used, Nano
technological approach was used.

40. • Naturally available micro-size calcium carbonate
particles were used for synthesis of nano-crystals
through top down approach.
• Nano-crystalline lime particles were synthesized using a
high energy ball milling at dry conditions with milling
speed (600 rpm), duration (6 hours) and balls to powder
ratio was set as (1:10), respectively.
• Surface modification of ball milled sample was done
using a biodegradable polymer (Chitosan 1% in acetic
acid) as 2:1 W/V (nano-lime: Chitosan) basis with
continuous stir for 30 minutes.
• After surface modification nano-lime was dried and
powdered for further characterisation.

41. Particle sizes distribution a) Conventional lime b) Nano lime
and c) Encapsulated nano lime

42. Zetapotential of a) Conventional lime, b) Nano lime and c)
Encapsulated nano lime

43. Amount of exchangeable calcium from nano-lime

44. CONCLUSION
• Synthesized calcium carbonate nano
crystalline particles were environment
friendly.
• Reduced particle size and increased surface
area has offered an opportunity for
reclamation of soil acidity as an amendment
and can be scaled up for agricultural
production.

45. • Lorenzo Rossi, Weilan Zhang, Xingmao Ma.
• Environmental Pollution 229 (2017) 132e138.
Cerium oxide nano particles alter the salt
stress tolerance of Brassica napus L. by
modifying the formation of root apoplastic
barriers.

46. ABSTRACT
• Rapid advancement of nanotechnology is introducing more and
more engineered nanoparticles into the environment and in
agricultural soils.
• While some negative effects of ENPs on plant health at very high
concentrations have been reported, more beneficial effects of
ENPs at relatively low concentrations are increasingly noticed,
opening doors for potential applications of nanotechnology in
agriculture.
• In particular, they found that cerium oxide nanoparticles
(CeO2NPs) improved plant photosynthesis in salt stressed plants.
• Due to the close connections between salt stress tolerance and
the root anatomical structures, they have postulated that CeO2
NPs could modify plant root anatomy and improve plant salt
stress tolerance.

47. • This study aimed at testing the hypothesis
with Brassica napus in the presence of CeO2
NPs (0, 500 mg kg1 dry sand) and/or NaCl (0,
50 mM) in a growth chamber.
• Free hand sections of fresh roots were taken
every seven days for three weeks and the
suberin lamellae development was examined
under a fluorescence microscope.

48. Root anatomical analyses of Brassica napus plants exposed to CeO2NPs at 500 mg kg1 dry
sand and 50 mM NaCl. Measurements took place at the end of first week (T1), end
of second week (T2) and end of third week (T3). A) Fluorescence microscopy imagines of
endodermal suberin lamellae (yellow). B) Schematic representation of endodermal suberin
lamellae. Dot lines represent standard deviation (n ¼ 3).

49. Cerium and sodium in roots (A, C) and leaves (B, D) of Brassica napus plants exposed to
CeO2NPs at 500 mg kg1 dry sand and 50 mM NaCl. Measurements took place at the
end of first week (T1), end of second week (T2) and end of third week (T3). Means followed by
different letters are significantly different by Tukey's post-hoc test (p < 0.05). Error
bars represent the standard deviation (n= 3).

50. CONCLUSION
• The results confirmed the hypothesis that CeO2
NPs modified the formation of the apoplastic
barriers in Brassica roots.
• In salt stressed plants, CeO2NPs shortened the
root apoplastic barriers which allowed more Na+
transport to shoots and less accumulation of Na+
in plant roots.
• The altered Na+ fluxes and transport led to
better physiological performance of Brassica and
may lead to new applications of nanotechnology
in agriculture.

51. • Priyanka Solanki, Arpit Bhargava, Hemraj Chhipa, Navin Jain
and Jitendra Panwar.
• Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 M. Rai et al.
(eds.), Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14024-7_4
Nano fertilizers and their
Smart delivery system.

52. ABSTRACT
• Widespread existence of nutrient deficiency in soils
and large scale application of chemical fertilizers has
resulted in great economic loss for farmers.
• Advancement in nanotechnology has improved ways
for large-scale production of nanoparticles, which are
now used to improve fertilizer formulations for
increased uptake in plant cells and by minimizing
nutrient loss.
• Nano-fertilizers can precisely release their active
ingredients in responding to environmental triggers
and biological demands.
• Nanoparticles have high surface area, absorption
capacity and controlled-release kinetics to targeted
sites making them “smart delivery system.”

53. Uptake, translocation, and biotransformation pathway of various nanoparticles in a plant
system: (a) plant showing the selective uptake and translocation of nanoparticles; (b)
transverse cross section of the root absorption zone showing the differential nanoparticle
interaction on exposure.

54. Probable modes of cellular uptake of the nanoparticles in a plant cell.

55. CONCLUSIONS
• Nanostructured materials as fertilizer carrier or
controlled-release vectors can enhance the nutrient
use efficiency and reduce the cost of environmental
pollution.
• However, the uptake, translocation and fate of
nanoparticles in plant system are largely unknown
resulting in the rise of various ethical and safety
issues surrounding the use of nano-fertilizers in
plant productivity.
• A systematic and thorough quantitative analysis
regarding the potential health impacts,
environmental clearance and safe disposal of
nanomaterials can lead to improvements in
designing further applications of nano-fertilizers.

56. • Jhones Luiz de Oliveira, Estefania Vangelie Ramos Campos,
Mansi Bakshi, P.C. Abhilash, Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto (2014).
• Biotechnology Advances 32 (2014) 1550-1561
Application of nanotechnology
for encapsulation of botanical
insecticides for sustainable
agriculture: Prospects and
Promises

57. ABSTRACT
• The use of nanotechnology in combination with
botanical insecticides in order to develop
systems for pest control in agriculture.
• The botanical insecticides include those based
on active principles isolated from plant extracts,
as well as essential oils derived from certain
plants.
• Novelty aspects in use of these systems in
agrochemical applications.

60. o The use of botanical insecticides associated with
nanotechnology offers considerable potential for increasing
agricultural productivity, while at the same time reducing
impacts on the environment and human health.
o The strategy of the use of nanotechnology is interesting,
since it can help to mitigate adverse impacts of
agrochemicals on the environment and to the human
health.
o The main difficulties that need to be addressed before this
technology can be fully commercialized includes the issue of
scalability of nanocarrier production, as well as the
production of extracts, essential oils and isolated active
principles in the quantities required to control agricultural
pests.
CONCLUSION

61. Disadvantages of Nanotechnology
• Possible loss of jobs in the traditional farming and
manufacturing industry.
• Nano particles effect on biological systems and the environment
such as toxicity generated by free radicals leading to lipid
peroxidation and DNA damage.
• High concentration of nanosilica silver produced some chemical
injuries on the tested plants (cucumber leaves and pansy
flowers).
• Problems can actually arise from the inhalation of these minute
particles, much like the problems a person gets from inhaling
minute asbestos particles.
• Presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it
can cost you a lot of money. It is also pretty difficult to
manufacture.
• Extremely high doses of these materials are associated with
fibrotic lung responses and result in inflammation and an
increased risk of carcinogenesis.

62. Future Prospectives
• Nanotechnology requires a detailed understanding of science
and material technology, in combination with knowledge of
the agricultural production system.
• We could say that the prospects of nanotechnology are very
bright.
• More studies are needed to explore the mode of action of
NP’s, their interaction with biomolecules and their impact on
the regulation of gene expression in plants.
• More research should be done on the potential adverse
effects of nanomaterials on human health, crops and the
environmental safety.
• Nanotechnology will be an undeniable force in near future.

63. Thank you
"The Next Big Thing
Is Really Small”