Electrical, optical, and mechanical transducer–based nanosensor and nanobiosensor for agricultural applications

Sustainable agriculture demands new techniques to support crop growth, timely disease detection, and maintenance of crop productivity. To support a worldwide growing population, technological advancements are required in agriculture. However, the variety of abiotic and biotic stresses significantly affects the growth and productivity of crops. Hence, timely detection of stress conditions in the vicinity of crops can help in crop management and sustainability. Nanotechnology has been supposed to possess huge potential to revolutionize agriculture. Nanomaterial-based sensors and biosensors have been evaluated and developed for the early and sensitive detection of proper soil conditions, disease prevalence, and herbicide/pesticide accumulation. The nanomaterials are conjugated with various sensitive biological receptor agents that help in the efficient detection of their corresponding ligands. Nano-based sensors and nanodevices are formulated on the basis of the molecular interaction of plants with various types of pathogens. Further, the detection of herbicides and pesticides using nanosensors plays a significant role in maintaining the ecological balance of soil chemistry. In addition, varying plant parameters like moisture, pH, and chemical conditions of the soil can also be detected using nanodevices. Hence, keeping in view the significance of nanotechnology toward agriculture, the present article discusses various types of nanosensors and nanobiosensors having a potential impact on agriculture, thus maintaining agricultural productivity and sustainability.