Microbe-mediated nanotechnology for heavy metal detoxification and crop resilience: mechanisms, advances, and future prospects

Abstract

Microbial nanotechnology provides a simple, reliable, and eco-friendly method for synthesizing various types of nanoparticles (NPs) by utilizing microorganisms, including viruses, fungi, bacteria, and algae, to manufacture and functionalize them. It has extensive applications in various industries, including electronics, healthcare, food production, environmental science, and agriculture. Environmental shifts have greatly influenced global crop production. Abiotic stresses, including heat, UV radiation, salinity, cold, drought, and heavy metals (HMs), adversely affect crop development and yield production. Nanotechnologies are known as powerful tools for crop improvement, aiming to increase crop yield and stress tolerance. Microbially produced NPs can reduce stress-induced impairments and promote plant development in challenging environments. In this context, microbial-mediated NPs act as multifunctional agents that can modulate plant stress responses, improve nutrient availability, and reduce metal toxicity in soil-plant systems. The recent review highlights a comprehensive overview of microbial NPs synthesis, with a particular focus on the mechanisms underlying NPs formation, NPs-HMs interactions, and their role in improving crop resilience. It further highlights recent advances in microbe-mediated nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture and critically discusses current limitations, including scalability, environmental safety, and field-level application challenges. Finally, future perspectives are presented to bridge the gap between laboratory research and practical agricultural implementation.