Nanofertilizers and their roles in sustainable agriculture

Because of the limitation in arable lands and water resources, the development of agriculture sector is only possible by increasing of resources use efficiency with the minimum damage to production bed through effective use of modern technologies. Among these, nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the agricultural systems, biomedicine, environmental engineering, safety and security, water resources, energy conversion, and numerous other areas. Nanostructured formulation through mechanisms such as targeted delivery or slow/controlled release mechanisms and conditional release, could release their active ingredients in responding to environmental triggers and biological demands more precisely. Studies show that the use of nanofertilizers causes an increase in nutrients use efficiency, reduces soil toxicity, minimizes the potential negative effects associated with over dosage and reduces the frequency of the application. Hence, nanotechnology has a high potential for achieving sustainable agriculture, especially in developing countries.