Nanobiotechnology for Abiotic Stress Adaptation and Mitigation in Agricultural Crops
Springer Nature
Nanobiotechnology has emerged as an innovative and rapidly advancing field that combines the progress of nanotechnology with biological sciences, especially cellular and molecular biology. Several metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have shown great potential in boosting the performance of agricultural crops under challenging conditions. NPs enhance plant resistance to stress by strengthening physical barriers, facilitating the uptake and transport of essential minerals and nutrients, improving photosynthetic efficiency, increasing the synthesis of anti-stress compounds, and modulating hormone balance, mainly auxins and gibberellins, thereby promoting plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses. Due to their high surface energy and large surface-to-volume ratio, NPs exhibit superior bioavailability and bioactivity compared to their bulk counterparts. This book offers readers a thorough, up-to-date overview of how NPs impact crop responses at the molecular, cellular, metabolic, biochemical, and physiological levels, particularly under stressful conditions. In terms of physiology, NPs enhance stomatal behavior, boost photosynthesis, improve water use efficiency, and promote…
