Jul 2026· International Journal of Environment and Climate Change· 0 citations
Abstract
Climate change, degradation of natural resources, and increasing global demand for food create substantial challenges for sustainable farming systems. In this context, climate-smart nanotechnology has emerged as a promising interdisciplinary approach that can support soil fertility, improve crop performance, and promote environmental sustainability. This review critically examines how nanotechnology contributes to climate-smart agriculture, with particular attention to soil fertility management, enhanced nutrient-use efficiency, crop stress tolerance, precision farming, and soil remediation.
Nano-fertilisers improve nutrient availability and uptake efficiency through controlled release and targeted delivery, thereby reducing losses through leaching, volatilisation, and runoff. Nano-sensors enable near-real-time monitoring of soil and plant conditions and support precision agriculture and informed input management. In addition, nanomaterials can improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and heat by influencing physiological and biochemical processes. Nano-based remediation strategies can also support the restoration of affected soils through adsorption, immobilisation, and catalytic degradation of contaminants. Despite these benefits, climate-smart nanotechnology presents several challenges, including possible nanoparticle toxicity, ecological risks, high production costs, regulatory constraints, and limited awareness among farmers. Future research should focus on eco-friendly green synthesis routes, biodegradable nanomaterials, and integration with advanced systems such as artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and the Internet of Things (IoT). With appropriate risk assessment, policy support, and field validation, climate-smart nanotechnology has considerable potential to support sustainable agriculture and strengthen food security under changing climatic conditions.
Sustainable agriculture is increasingly challenged by soil degradation, environmental pollution, and climate change, necessitating the pragmatic and eco-friendly approach. This review systematically synthesizes the role of biochar as multifunctional soil management strategy in enhancing soil health and sustainable environmental management, with particular emphasis on the critical roles of feedstock type and pyrolysis conditions in governing biochar performance. To address existing knowledge gaps, we comprehensively evaluate recent available literature on biochar-based environmental remediation, focusing on key indicators of agricultural sustainability, including nutrients availability, soil biological activity, climate change mitigation, biochar-assisted phytostabilization, and crop productivity. Current evidence indicates that biochar application can achieve a net negative carbon footprint, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and heavy metal contamination, and improve soil structure, fertility, and overall crop productivity on sustainable-basis. However, these benefits largely depend upon the various important biochar production factors including feedstock source, pyrolysis temperature, biochar stability, residence time, rate of application, and soil pH. Beyond its function as a soil amendment, biochar also serves as a multifunctional resource contributing to bioenergy production, waste reduction, and long-term carbon sequestration. At the same time, this review identifies critical research gaps, including the long-term field performance of biochar, mechanisms underlying the interactions between biochar and agronomic practices, and the environmental and human health risks associated with large-scale agricultural applications. Overall, this work highlights the importance of feedstock selection and pyrolysis parameters in designing biochar for environmental remediation and outlines future research directions to refine biochar engineering, application guidelines, and risk assessment frameworks for its sustainable use.
Ismail Khan, Faming Wang, Abdul Rehman et al.· International journal of phy...· 0 citations
ABSTRACT Climate change, soil degradation, resource depletion, and excessive agrochemical use necessitate sustainable agricultural innovations. Nanobiotechnology has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance crop productivity, resource-use efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Over the past 15 years, extensive research has explored nanoparticle (NP) mediated approaches for improving plant growth and resilience. This review provides a comprehensive account of emerging nano-enabled technologies, including nanoregulators, nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanobiosensors (detection sensitivity nM to pM levels), and nanocarrier-assisted genome editing platforms. Beyond summarizing recent advances, the review critically examines the mechanistic basis of NP-mediated improvements in nutrient uptake (20–60%), seed germination, abiotic stress tolerance, disease management, pesticide resistance mitigation, genetic transformation, and tissue culture. The review identifies that nanoparticle efficacy is highly dose-dependent, with most laboratory studies reporting optimal plant responses at 10–50 mg L−1, highlighting the need for standardized field-scale dose optimization. The review also critically discusses nanotoxicological concerns, biosafety, regulatory frameworks, commercialization pathways highlighting the transition of nanobiotechnology from laboratory research toward practical agriculture. Model-based analysis suggests that high-efficiency nano-fertilizers (γ≈ 6) can achieve yields comparable to those obtained with 200 kg ha−1 of conventional fertilizer using only ~40 kg ha−1 of nano-fertilizer. The review further evaluates the commercialization status of nano-enabled agricultural products, highlighting the successful market deployment of formulations such as Nano Urea, Nano DAP, Nano Zinc, nanopesticides, nano seed coatings, and nanobiosensors. Finally, key scientific, regulatory, economic, and societal challenges are identified, and future priorities are proposed to facilitate the safe, scalable, and responsible deployment of nanobiotechnology for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTThe graphical abstract illustrates the diverse applications of nanobiotechnology in sustainable agriculture. It highlights the use of engineered nanoparticles and nanomaterials in precision nutrient delivery (nanofertilizers), targeted pest and disease management (nanopesticides), enhanced crop protection, stress tolerance, nanosensors for real-time monitoring of soil and plant health, and nano-enabled genetic engineering. These nanobiotechnological interventions improve nutrient use efficiency, increase crop productivity, reduce environmental pollution, and support climate-resilient, resource-efficient agricultural practices, thereby contributing to global food security and sustainable farming.Nanobiotech in Agriculture: Abiotic stress tolerance, essential nutrient uptake, disease control, genetic engineering and nanobiosensing.
Meenu Teotia, Nikhil Kumar, S. Verma· Communications in Soil Scien...· 0 citations
The increasing need to ensure global food security and promote sustainable agricultural practices has necessitated the development of alternative approaches to the environmental problems caused by the use of traditional mineral fertilizers. This review article, prepared within this context, comprehensively examines the development of biochar-coated controlled-release fertilizers (BCSRFs) over the last decade (2015–2025). The study evaluates in detail the production techniques of BCSRFs, the properties of coating materials, nutrient release mechanisms, and the impacts of these systems on agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, environmental gains such as increased nutrient use efficiency (NUE), reduced greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching, as well as economic feasibility and scalability are discussed. With the potential to improve soil fertility and limit environmental losses, BCSRFs stand out as an innovative and promising solution for modern agricultural systems. This review aims to synthesize the existing literature and provide a scientific framework for future research and applications.
Hasine Elçi· Selcuk journal of agricultur...· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Soil salinity is one of the most critical abiotic stressors limiting global agricultural productivity by adversely affecting plant physiology, nutrient dynamics and soil health. Excessive accumulation of soluble salts disrupts osmotic balance, induces ionic toxicity and elevates oxidative stress, thereby impairing plant metabolism and soil ecological stability. In recent years, biochar and engineered nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as innovative and sustainable soil amendments capable of mitigating salinity-induced deterioration in agroecosystems. Biochar improves soil structure, water retention and cation exchange capacity while promoting microbial activity and nutrient availability. In contrast, nanoparticles enhance stress tolerance by regulating redox balance, improving nutrient use efficiency and modulating antioxidant defense systems.
AIM OF REVIEW
The review aims to critically evaluate the individual and combine role of biochar and nanoparticles as a nano-modified biochar (NP-BC) in alleviating salinity stress in plant-soil systems. The review further explores the mechanistic pathways through which NP-BC improves plant physiological performance, soil biochemical properties and stress resilience under saline conditions and highlight their potential as sustainable tools for managing saline agroecosystems.
KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF THE REVIEW
The integration of biochar with nanoparticles as NP-BC offers a multifunctional approach combining structural, chemical and catalytic properties. This combined system improves ion homeostasis through Na⁺ exclusion and K⁺ retention, enhances osmotic regulation, strengthens antioxidant defense systems, supports soil microbial activity and nutrient cycling under saline conditions. The review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the mechanistic interactions and functional roles of biochar, nanoparticles and NP-BC in mitigating salt stress. Furthermore, it highlights key research gaps related to dosage optimization, long-term environmental implications and field-scale applicability to support the development of next-generation sustainable nano-enabled soil management strategies.
Haider Sultan, Jingdong Chen, Yusheng Li et al.· Journal of Advanced Research· 0 citations
Globally, land degradation driven by the aggregate impacts of pollution and climate change poses a major challenge to sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate change adaptation. Approximately, one-third of the planet’s soil are classified as moderately to severely degraded due to erosion, loss of soil organic carbon, nutrient imbalance, salinization, and contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, and emerging pollutants. Climate change factors, such as rise in temperature, changes in precipitation, and climate extremes, which encompass physical, chemical and biological disturbances. In this context, Sustainable Farming Systems (SFS) emerge as crucial nature-based solution for restoring soil quality and enhancing climate resilience. This review critically integrates international and regional findings on soil health management through conservation agriculture (CA), agroforestry, and natural farming (NF), with particular emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness and suitability of these practices in improving the physical, chemical, and biological properties and indicators of soil health amid pollution and environmental changes. The findings clearly indicates that CA improves soil structural properties and water regime, the ability of agroforestry to improve the nutrient dynamics, biodiversity, and the long-term carbon sequestration; and NF improves soil detoxification processes and nutrient status through its own inherent inputs and minimizing reliance on external inputs. Collectively, these practices make significant contributions to beneficial ecosystem services including erosion control, carbon sequestration, and water resource efficiency. However, challenges related to scalability, manpower requirements, productivity gaps, and region-specific adoption constraints remain significant barriers. The review emphasizes the need a holistic and regionally tailored approach to facilitate the broader implementation of soil-centred strategies, thereby advancing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), enhanced climate change resilience, and support long-term sustainable agriculture practices.
Syed Ali Abbas, Shagun Bali, S. Rahman et al.· Frontiers in Agronomy· 0 citations
Rice-based agroecosystems in Bangladesh face mounting challenges from nutrient imbalance, declining soil organic matter, climate-related stress and inefficient fertilizer management. While intensive fertilizer use has raised productivity, it has also reduced nutrient use efficiency and degraded soil quality. Nanofertilizers and organic soil amendments have emerged as complementary strategies to improve nutrient management and soil health in rice systems. This review synthesizes 85 peer-reviewed field, pot and laboratory studies (2005-2025) from Bangladesh and comparable South Asian agroecosystems, evaluating the individual and combined effects of nanofertilizers and soil amendments (biochar, compost, green manure, lime) on rice productivity, soil properties, nutrient dynamics and environmental outcomes. Nanofertilizers improve nutrient use efficiency through controlled release, while amendments enhance soil organic carbon, microbial activity and nutrient retention. Combined application produces synergistic gains, with yield improvements of approximately 25-40% reported under specific experimental conditions. These integrated strategies reduce nutrient losses, strengthen soil function and support more efficient, climate-resilient rice production aligned with SDGs 2, 6, 13 and 15. Most available evidence, however, derives from short-term field and pot trials; long-term, multi-location studies are needed to evaluate nanoparticle fate, environmental safety, economic feasibility and farmer adoption under diverse rice-growing conditions before large-scale deployment.
Ishrat Alam, Khalid Syfullah, Bijoya Saha et al.· Agricultural Science Digest...· 0 citations
