Zinc Nanoparticles for Enhancing Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stress: A Bibliometric Analysis and Review

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plant health, yet its availability in soils grapples with limitations imposed by diverse factors. Nanotechnology offers a promising approach to enhance Zn delivery and uptake by plants, as well as to improve their tolerance to abiotic stress. However, the current literature lacks a comprehensive overview of the research trends and progress on Zn nanoparticles (ZnNPs) for mitigating abiotic stress in plants. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on 6932 records from the Web of Science Core Collection published in the past 20 years (2000–2020). Our objective was to unravel key insights into the most influential countries, institutions, journals, authors, and pivotal keywords steering the trajectory of ZnNPs research in the context of mitigating abiotic stresses in plants. Beyond this bibliometric exploration, we reviewed the synthesis methods, applications, and mechanisms of ZnNPs for enhancing plant growth and photosynthesis under various abiotic stress conditions. Our findings underscored that China, India, and Iran were the leading countries in ZnNPs research, with green synthesis emerging as the predominant method for ZnNPs production. We also found that ZnNPs improved plant tolerance to abiotic stress by modulating various physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes. We discussed the challenges and opportunities for future research on ZnNPs for sustainable agriculture.