Nanotechnology in Soil-Plant System
Opportunities for applications of nanotechnology in soil-plant system are fast emerging as an alternative to Green Revolution technologies, which need to be phased out due to their limitations in breaking yield barriers and environmental compliances, and
- PDF / 219,365 Bytes
- 20 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 5 Downloads / 244 Views
Nanotechnology in Soil-Plant System Siddhartha Sankar Mukhopadhyay and Nirmaljit Kaur
Abstract Opportunities for applications of nanotechnology in soil-plant system are fast emerging as an alternative to Green Revolution technologies, which need to be phased out due to their limitations in breaking yield barriers and environmental compliances, and ever escalating shortage of farming inputs, especially P- and K-containing fertilizers and irrigation water. Literature and patent applications on nanotechnology applications in soil-plant system encompass novel materials containing nutrients and stimulators of plants, and pesticides. Compatibility of nanomaterials to farming, food and environment is essential because agricultural production functions in open system, where both energy and matter are freely exchanged in the realm of geosphere–biosphere–atmosphere. Apart from nanomaterials intended for farming, thousands other engineered nanoproducts are entering in soil-plant system, which have been altering the pristine state of soil-plant continuum, and therefore calls for framing of regulations on their use. One of the treasures in soil-plant system could be nanofabricated materials containing plant physiologically suitable nutrient ion(s) in clay minerals receptacles. The areas that need further attention in the success of nanotechnology applications in soil-plant system are founding of impeccable paradigms for concepts that govern farm production system, nanofabricating novel materials so as to improve input use efficiency and environmental compliance, interventions in soil fertility and damaged ecosystems, nutrient and water transport mechanisms in soil-plant system, and biosafety of engineered nanomaterials.
Keywords Nanomaterials Biosafety Clay mineral Environmental compliance, farming system Nano-inputs Physiological response Nutrient use efficiency Ecosystems Soil fertility
S.S. Mukhopadhyay (&) Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] N. Kaur Department of Botany, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 C. Kole et al. (eds.), Plant Nanotechnology, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-42154-4_13
329
330
13.1
S.S. Mukhopadhyay and N. Kaur
Introduction
Application of nanotechnology in the discipline of agriculture is about a decade old initiative. As of now, research works are largely confined in literature and patent applications. But nevertheless, it promises revolutionary changes in farming with time. Encouraging results have already been noticed for a few novel materials based on clays (Table 13.1). The promise could be judged from the fact that there are a good number of claims of utility of the novel nanomaterials for their use as fertilizers, and surely, it is a matter of little more time for at least a few of them to be approved by the fertilizer regulatory authorities for their use in farmers’ field. For agricultural produc
Data Loading...
