Bio-inspired designs have been used by humankind in understanding and
modelling novel materials which have applications in diverse fields like disease
diagnostics, drug delivery, agriculture, energy storage, industry, etc.
Superhydrophobicity, directional adhesion, structural colour, self-cleaning,
antireflection, etc. are some of the useful attributes for which we have relied a lot on
nano level biomimetics. Bioinspired nanolevel designs have been explored in the field
of agriculture too. Such nanomaterials and nanodesigns have been used to increase crop
yields. They also find uses in fertilizer application and replacement of many harmful
chemical pesticides, which are generally overused. Increasing population, increased
longevity of people and the urgent need for sustainable environment have led to a dire
need for exploration and adaptation of such novel technologies which can help in
feeding the growing population. Nanoscale products and technologies can also help in
reducing the accumulation of excess fertilizers, pesticides, etc. in soil, which can go a
long way in cleaning up the environment. The current attempt is intended to portray the
latest developments and future possibilities of bioinspired NT in diverse fields of
agriculture like synthesis and delivery of novel pesticides and fertilizers, nanocarriers
for gene delivery, sensors to monitor and assess soil conditions, plant pathogen
detection and plant nanobionics to detect pollutants.
Keywords: Agriculture, Biosensors, Dendrimer, Gene delivery, Liposome, Nanobiosensors, Nanocapsule, Nano-coating, Nanodesign, Nanofertilizers, Nanofiber, Nano fungicides, Nanogel, Nano herbicides, Nanopesticides, Nanosphere, Nanobionics.
