A review summarizing uptake, translocation and accumulation of nanoparticles within the plants: current status and future prospectus

Nanotechnology is a unique and innovative field of science with the plausible potential to revolutionize the technological world. The interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and the plant system is significant, as NPs directly interact with the components of the biosphere and ultimately enter the food chain through plants. The interaction between the NPs and plants is a complex process, depending on both, NPs as well as plant species. NPs enter the plants through roots as well as foliar exposure. This review systematically summarizes recent research progress on the uptake, translocation, and accumulation of NPs in the plant system. Translocation of NPs occurs in plants via the apoplastic and symplastic pathways. The accumulation of some stable NPs occurs in their pristine form, while some NPs change in another form. This review is consistently providing a perfect assessment of the previous knowledge on the uptake, translocation, accumulation, and transformation of NPs in the plants, and also provides direction for imminent research. Moreover, the critical challenges in each field are thoroughly evaluated and future perspectives are proposed.