Research Projects

Food security is a significant concern due to the growing population, shrinking land resources, uncertain climatic changes, and depleting water table and soil quality. To feed a world population of 9.1 billion people by 2050, agriculture must increase overall food production by 50% between 2022 and 2050. Conventional approaches, such as chemicals, fertilizers, and hormones, have environmental and health challenges. Nanoenabled agriculture is a topic of intense research interest, but our knowledge of nanoparticles' effects on plants, cells, and organelles is still insufficient. Plant nanobiotechnology, an emerging field in agricultural research, has shown potential for improving plant performance under biotic and abiotic stress. A novel approach of 'Nanobionic plant engineering' is proposed to empower food cereals using nanotechnology. This technique involves non-biological nanostructures interacting with plant cells and organelles, enhancing growth, higher grain numbers, and drought stress resistance. Nano-particles can act as a rocket-satellite system, holding herbicides, drugs, or genes to target specific parts of the plant. In laboratory and field conditions, oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) have shown positive effects on wheat, oats, and rice crops. CNT-treated cereals showed increased water retention, profuse root growth network, and increased absorption of nutrients without damage to DNA and human cell lines. Mineral-loaded CNTs also made crops drought-resistant. Further research is needed to explore the effects of nano-particles on these crops grown under drought stress environments.