Seeds and nanomaterials: seed-assisted synthesis, nanotoxicity, and seed-associated nanotechnology innovations.
Bodor T, Fejes G, Kondak D, Kondak S, Szőllősi R
Summary
7.8/10Seeds can be used to create nanomaterials sustainably, while nanotechnology can improve crops by enhancing disease resistance, stress tolerance, and genetic traits. This review examines how seeds and nanomaterials interact for agricultural innovation.
Key Findings
Seeds serve as source materials to convert bulk materials into nanoforms, supporting sustainable nanomaterial synthesis and circular farming practices
Effects of nanomaterials on seeds depend on both nanomaterial properties and the specific plant species involved
Emerging applications include improving abiotic stress tolerance, enhancing pathogen protection, facilitating genetic information transfer into embryos, and converting seed oils into biodiesel
Original Abstract
Seeds are the cornerstone of agricultural crop production. They are sources of many valuable materials that can be used to convert bulk materials into nanoforms, thus supporting sustainability in nanomaterial (NM) synthesis and circular farming. The use of seeds in innovative nanotechnology is based on the theoretical knowledge about seed-NM interactions and NM toxicity on seeds. The results show that the internalization of NMs into seeds and their effect on seed physiology depend on several properties of both the NM and the plant species. Nanotechnology innovations including seed-associated strategies for improving abiotic stress tolerance, facilitating pathogen protection, effectively transferring genetic information into embryos, and converting seed oils into biodiesel have been recently developed. This review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge regarding the complex, multidirectional interactions of seeds with NMs, and suggest directions for future research of seed nanobiology.