Effectiveness of silica nanoparticle application as plant nano-nutrition: a review

Plant nano-nutrition involves the delivery of nano-nutrients to plants. The use of nano-fertilizers in plant nutrition is one of the major applications of nanotechnology in agriculture and soil sciences. Nano-fertilizers have several beneficial effects on plant and soil systems, such as providing plants with nutrients, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients to plants, enhancing nutrient use efficiency, reducing nutrient leaching and loss in agroecosystems, and achieving higher productivity in major crops. Nanotechnology has great potential to increase sustainable agriculture productivity and food security by providing eco-friendly alternatives to various agrochemicals. Technology based on engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is a promising approach in agriculture, and has led to the production of silica nanoparticles (SNPs). The unique physico-chemical properties of SNPs are their small size, greater surface area, higher solubility, and surface reactivity, which result in greater and easier absorption of nutrients by plants. The efficacy of SNP applications in agriculture is increasing rapidly, which can help mitigate both biotic and abiotic stress, providing new solutions to problems in plants and crop science to enhance the quality of plant products more efficiently.