Positive and negative effects of nanoparticles on agricultural crops

Nanotechnology is one of the new approaches introduced to improve agricultural production as the present ecosystem balance starts to decline significantly due to the extensive use of classical agriculture. Nanoparticles are suitable alternative materials in place of the excessive use of chemicals, pesticides, and fungicides in agricultural crops to resist various plant diseases and pests. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the application of nanoparticles improves plant tolerance to various biotic stresses such as drought, heat, and salt. As nanoparticles have many positive effects in improving crop production and productivity, the adverse effects of some types of nanoparticles have been noted and observed. Therefore, understanding the pros and cons is very important for the efficient use of nanoparticles. In this review, the effect of nanoparticles on plants under various biotic and abiotic stresses is discussed. The effect of nanoparticle characteristics such as shape, size, and diameter on plant performance is also discussed. Also, the expression pattern of plant genes in response to the exposure to different nanoparticles is addressed in this review.