Nanotechnology in Agriculture

Nanotechnology in Agriculture

Introduction

     The current global population is nearly 6 billion with 50% living in Asia.  A large proportion  of those living in developing countries face daily food shortages as a result of environmental  impacts or political instability, while in the developed world there is a food surplus.  For  developing countries the drive is to develop drought and pest resistant crops, which also maximize yield.  In developed countries, the food industry is driven by consumer demand  which is currently for fresher and healthier foodstuffs.

    This is big business, for example the  food industry in the UK is booming with an annual growth rate of 5.2%1  and the demand for  fresh food has increased by 10% in the last few years. 

     The application of nanotechnology to the agricultural  and food industries was first addressed by a United States Department of Agriculture  roadmap published in September 2003.

What is Nanotechnology?  

     Nanotechnology is the manipulation or self-assembly of individual atoms, molecules, or  molecular clusters into structures to create materials and devices with new or vastly  different properties.

     Nanotechnology can work from the top down (which means reducing  the size of the smallest structures to the nanoscale e.g. photonics applications in  nanoelectronics and nanoengineering) or the bottom up (which involves manipulating  individual atoms and molecules into nanostructures and more closely resembles chemistry or  biology).

Nanotechnology in Agriculture

     The EU’s vision is of a “knowledge-based economy” and as part of this, it plans to maximise  the potential of biotechnology for the benefit of EU economy, society and the environment. 

     There are new challenges in this sector including a growing demand for healthy, safe food;  an increasing risk of disease; and threats to agricultural and fishery production from  changing weather patterns. 

      Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the agricultural and food industry with  new tools for the molecular treatment of diseases, rapid disease detection, enhancing the  ability of plants to absorb nutrients etc.  Smart sensors and smart delivery systems will help  the agricultural industry combat viruses and other crop pathogens.

 Agricultural production

     Nanotechnology can contribute to enhancing agricultural productivity  in a sustainable manner, using agricultural inputs more effectively, and reducing by-products that  can harm the environment or human health.            

     Nanotechnology-based biosensors deployed in crop  fields and in the plants to monitor soil conditions, growth, and disease vectors, can expand the  concept of precision farming in which productivity can be optimized while providing inputs (i.e.,  fertilizer, pesticide, irrigation, etc.,) and conditions (i.e., temperature, solar radiation) only in  precise levels necessary (Joseph and Morrison, 2006).

Food security for growing numbers

      Use of nanotechnology in agriculture and food industry can revolutionize the sector with new tools for disease detection, targeted treatment, enhancing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients, fight diseases and withstand environmental pressures and effective systems for processing, storage and packaging

 Enhanced fibre and rubber products

     Electrospinning techniques have been developed to  produce nanofibres from cellulose derived from scrap materials from current techniques of  spinning cotton (Frazer, 2004). Carbon nanotube-based fibers have been synthesized which are  17 times stronger than Kevlar (Dalton et al., 2003).

Perishability/ low shelf life

     Use of nanotechnology in sensing applications will ensure food safety and security, as well as technology applications which alert the customers and shopkeepers when a food is nearing the end of its shelf-life

    Nanotechnology based new antimicrobial coatings and dirt repellent plastic bags are a remarkable improvement in ensuring the safety and security of packaged food

Environment

     Developments in nano-bioprocessing can lead to conversion of agricultural waste  into energy and other useful by-products, thereby transforming waste that can adversely impact  the environment into valuable end-products (Moraru et al, 2003).

      Nanotechnology processes are  used in converting waste fibers from cotton spinning into biodegradable cellulose mats that can  absorb pesticides and fertilizers. Nanomaterials have also been used in the remediation of  agricultural lands and groundwater contaminated by farm run-off

Plant and animal health

    Nanotechnology can help in diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of  diseases of crops and livestock to ensure timely intervention when necessary. Nanoparticles have  been designed to adhere irreversibly to target pathogenic bacteria, reducing infectivity of foodborne enteropathogens in poultry products (Qu et al., 2005).

Diseases & calamities

    The union of biotechnology and nanotechnology in sensors will create equipment of increased sensitivity, allowing an earlier response to environmental changes and diseases

Food manufacturing and processing

     Nanotechnology can be applied in the food industry  through precise manipulation of food molecules to create healthier, tastier, and safer food  products. Nanoscale materials and techniques have been used in the development of novel and  functional foods and in safe processing and handling of food (Moraru et al., 2003).

    Nanotube  membranes were used in the separation of food biomolecules with functional value (e.g.,  proteins, vitamins, minerals, flavour and nutraceuticals) (Lee and Martin, 2002). Nano-based  filters were also used for removing undesirable compounds from foods and beverages as well as  in the purification of biofuels (i.e., ethanol)

Food packaging

     Various packaging materials have been developed using nanotechnology to  ensure safe handling of food items, to extend the shelf-life of food products, and to address the  environmental burden from non-biodegradable packaging materials currently used in the food  industry.

     Composite materials with silicon nanoparticles used for packaging were found to be  more airtight, thus preventing food decay and extending the shelf-life of food products (Moore, 1999)

Food safety and security  

       Nanotechnology applications in the food industry is also contributing  towards addressing the increasing consumer awareness of food safety and security concerns. 

   Chip-based micro-arrays have been developed for rapid detection of biological pathogens in  food. Quantum dots have been used for rapid detection of E. coli and other food-borne pathogens  (Su and Li, 2004).

Nanobarcodes

    Nanobarcodes  (i.e., cylindrical nanoparticles of varying width) can be used in tagging and  tracking of food and agriculture products (Warad and Dutta, 2005).

    Nanoscale monitors can also  be linked to recording and tracking devices to monitor temperature and other conditions to which  the food items are exposed to from the food processing plant to the consumer (Scott, 2005). 

Precision Farming

      Precision farming has been a long-desired goal to maximise output (i.e. crop yields) while  minimising input (i.e. fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, etc) through monitoring  environmental variables and applying targeted action.  Precision farming makes use of  computers, global satellite positioning systems, and remote sensing devices to measure  highly localised environmental conditions thus determining whether crops are growing at  maximum efficiency or precisely identifying the nature and location of problems. 

     By using  centralised data to determine soil conditions and plant development, seeding, fertilizer,  chemical and water use can be fine-tuned to lower production costs and potentially increase  production- all benefiting the farmer

Smart Delivery System

    In the future, nanoscale devices with novel properties could be used to make agricultural  systems “smart”.  In this way, smart devices will act as both a preventive and an early warning  system.  Such devices could be used to deliver chemicals in a controlled and targeted  manner in the same way as nanomedicine has implications for drug delivery in humans. 

encapsulation

   Technologies such as encapsulation and controlled release methods, have revolutionised the  use of pesticides and herbicides.  Many companies make formulations which contain  nanoparticles within the 100-250 nm size range that are able to dissolve in water more  effectively than existing ones (thus increasing their activity). 

Conclusions

   Globally, many countries have identified the potential of nanotechnology in the agrifood sector and are investing a significant amount in it.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set out ambitious plans to be achieved in the short, medium and long term, and aims to discover novel phenomena, processes and tools to address challenges faced by the agricultural sector.  Equal importance has been given to the societal issues associated with nanotechnology and to improve public awareness.