Advances in Plant-Based Nanoparticles: From Biosynthesis to Abiotic Stress Resilience in Crops

Abiotic stress is the unfavorable impact of nonliving materials on living organisms in a particular environment. Major global challenges include possible pressures i.e. salinity, drought, high or low temperatures, heavy metals and other ecological limits. Plants are more prone to abiotic stress as the climate changes globally. The plants react to these challenges by activating several complex systems that modify the biochemical and morpho-physiological courses in them. Therefore, to create sustainable agricultural systems for crop production, technological progress of nanoparticles (NPs) necessitates the development to combat the harmful impacts of abiotic environmental restrictions. The various NPs used to treat plants to overcome environmental challenges include TiO2, Zn, ZnO, Ce, Co, Cu, Se, Ag, Si, Au, SiO2, FeO, Fe2O3, CaCO3, Mg, MgO, Mn, etc. These promise to boost crop productivity by enhancing abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms in crops. Enhancement of root growth, aquaporins activation, altered intra-cellular water metabolism, ionic equilibrium and accumulation of solutes were the primary processes through which NPs reduced osmotic stress due to water scarcity. As nano-fertilizers, NPs have attracted considerable interest hiving elevated ratio of surface area to volume, eco-friendliness, inexpensive, distinctive physicochemical characteristics and enhanced plant production. Numerous investigations had specified the prospective function of NPs in the control of abiotic stress. This review highlighted green synthesis, characterization of NPs and their function in mitigating abiotic stresses and promoting development to build a lucrative and environment-friendly approach to future sustainability of agriculture.