Agricultural nanotechnology for sustainable crop production: A systematic literature review
Abstract
Sustainability in agriculture has gained immense importance worldwide due to population growth, global warming, declining soil fertility, excessive use of agrochemicals, water shortages and environmental pollution. Agricultural nanotechnology is an emerging technology capable of addressing these issues through enhanced crop productivity, efficient resource utilisation and environment-friendly practices. The main objective of this systematic literature review is to examine current trends, applications, limitations and future scope of agricultural nanotechnology as an innovative approach to sustainable agriculture. This review followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework to conduct a rigorous search and evaluation. Scientific publication published between 2015 and 2026 related to nanotechnology, nano-fertiliser, nano-pesticides, nanosensors, precision agriculture and sustainable agriculture were retrieved from the Scopus database. Out of these studies, a total of 398 were included in this systematic literature review based on predetermined selection criteria. From the results, it is evident that nanotechnology has great potential in improving nutrient use efficiency, crop growth, plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, reducing agrochemical waste and promoting precision agriculture. nano-fertilisers, nano-pesticides, nanosensors and smart delivery devices were found among major fields of research that contributed to sustainable agriculture. It was observed from bibliometric analysis that there is strong cooperation between countries with respect to studying agricultural nanotechnology, wherein some of the countries leading this front include India, China, Saudi Arabia, USA and UK. However, toxicity of nanoparticles, environment concerns, regulation problems, high costs associated with manufacturing and validation challenges at field level still remain significant barriers to adoption.