Research Status of Agricultural Nanotechnology and Its Application in Horticultural Crops

Abstract

Global food security is facing numerous severe challenges. Population growth, climate change, and irrational agricultural inputs have led to a reduction in available arable land, a decline in soil fertility, and difficulties in increasing crop yields. As a result, the supply of food and agricultural products is under serious threat. Against this backdrop, the development of new technologies to increase the production of food and agricultural products and ensure their supply is extremely urgent. Agricultural nanotechnology, as an emerging technology, mainly utilizes the characteristics of nanomaterials such as small size, large specific surface area, and surface effects. It plays a role in gene delivery, regulating crop growth, adsorbing environmental pollutants, detecting the quality of agricultural products, and preserving fruits and vegetables, providing important technical support for ensuring the global supply of food and agricultural products. Currently, the research focus of agricultural nanotechnology is concentrated on the design and preparation of nanomaterials, the regulation of their properties, and the optimization of their application effects in the agricultural field. In terms of the research status, certain progress has been made in the research of nano-fertilizers, nano-pesticides, nano-sensors, nano-preservation materials, and nano-gene delivery vectors. However, it also faces problems such as complex processes and incomplete safety evaluations. This review focuses on the horticultural industry, comprehensively expounding the research status and application progress of agricultural nanotechnology in aspects such as the growth regulation of horticultural crops and the quality detection and preservation of horticultural products. It also deeply analyzes the opportunities and challenges faced by the application of nanomaterials in the horticultural field. The aim is to provide a reference for the further development of agricultural nanotechnology in the horticultural industry, promote its broader and more efficient application, contribute to solving the global food security problem, and achieve sustainable agricultural development.

Keywords: agricultural nanotechnology; fresh-keeping of fruits and vegetables; gene delivery; growth and development regulation; horticultural products; identification and detection of pollutants.

Figure 5

Pollen magnetotransfection using MNPs. (a) Pollen magnetotransfection consists of five steps: (1) formation of the MNP-DNA complex; (2) pollen magnetotransfection with cotton pollen; (3) magnetotransfected pollen grains are used for artificial pollination; (4) seed harvesting; (5) screening of transgenic plants. (b) Time-lapse tracking of fluorescent MNPs labeled with Lumogen F Red 305 in pollen grains and pollen tubes within 48 h. (c) There is no evidence of transient transformation by pollen magnetotransfection, while there is evidence of a combination of biolistic and GFP reporter plasmids [69].

Figure 6

The nanoscale and ionic properties of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) determine the mechanism of their bactericidal activity [97].

Figure 1

Publication trends of research papers in the field of nanomaterials, nanotechnology, horticultural crops and products in the past decade (data from Web of Science, with keywords “nanotechnology and horticultural crops” and “nanomaterials and horticultural products”) (statistical data as of December 2024).

Figure 2

(a) Phase transformation. (b) Interfacial polymerization. (c) Electrochemical synthesis [32].

Figure 3

Development of MOF membranes for pollutant removal [32].

Figure 4

Schematic diagram of the catalytic mechanism of the peroxidase-like activity of Fe₃O₄ NPs [53].