Transformation of Agriculture through Bio Nanotechnology Alok Adholeya

Transformation of Agriculture through Bio. Nanotechnology Alok Adholeya Director, Research And technology Development Mycorrhizal Applications. LLC USA

Background § Agriculture is the backbone of most developing countries, with more than 60% of the population reliant on it for their livelihood. § Source of Livelihood § Contribution to National revenue § Supply of Food as well as Fodder § Significance to the International Trade § Marketable Surplus § Employment Opportunities § Economic upliftment of farmers especially small and marginal farmers § Improving productivity is the biggest challenge before agricultural scientists, this is more challenging under the fluctuating climatic conditions

Nanotechnology…. • Engineered materials, structures and systems that operate at a scale of 100 nanometres or less (one nanometre is one billionth of a metre). • A set of techniques that enable direct manipulation and reconstruction of the world at the level of atoms and molecules.

Challenges for Scope of Intervention of Bio. Nanotechnology § UN survey identified agricultural productivity enhancement as the second most critical area of application for attaining the millennium development goals while energy conversion and storage was ranked first and water treatment as the third areas needing focus (Salamanca. Buentello et al. , 2005) § Production of healthy, safe food § Mitigating increasing risk of disease § Countering threats to agricultural production from changing weather patterns § Establishing a successful bio economy § Possible cost-cutting measure to prodigal farming and environmental clean-up operations

Bionanotechnology : next wave of development and transformation of agri-food systems § Attracting large-scale investment from global food corporations, is backed by academic science, and has captured financial and ideological support from many governments (Roco, 2005; Sandler and Kay, 2006). § Rapidly moving from laboratory onto farm, supermarket shelves and kitchen table. § A new range of ‘smart’ agricultural inputs and products have been and are being developed, such as ü nano-seed varieties with in-built pesticides with triggered release ü nano-techniques allow altering nutritional composition, flavour and other attributes of food to suit physiological requirements ü innovative food packaging able to detect the presence of pathogens.

Areas of Involvement of Bio. Nanotechnology Duncan TV. Nature Nanotechnology 6, 683– 688 (2011)

Applications of Bio. Nanotechnology Dasgupta et al. , Food Research International 69 (2015) 381– 400

Nano. Fertilizers / Nanopesticides § A disturbing fact is that the fertilizer use efficiency is 20 -50 percent for nitrogen, and 10 -25 percent for phosphorus (<1% for rock phosphate in alkaline calcareous soils). With nano-fertilizers emerging as alternatives to conventional fertilizers, build ups of nutrients in soils and thereby eutrophication and drinking water contamination may be eliminated. § All soil-clays, many chemicals derived from soil organic matter, several soil microbes fall into this category. § Some of the examples include clinoloptolite and other zeolite based substrates, and Fe-, Mn-, and Cu- substituted synthetic hydroxyapatites that have made it possible to grow crops in space stations and in Antarctica. § New opportunities to improve nutrient use efficiency and minimize costs of environmental protection.

Bionanotechnology in plant protection Nanoparticles in controlling plant diseases § § § Fig. Applications of bionanotechnology in plant protection and nutrition (Ghormade et al. / Biotechnology Advances 29 (2011) 792– 803) Nano Carbon Nano Silver Silicon Nano-sized Silica. Silver Nano Alumino. Silicate

Natural Polymers in Bionanotechnology § Natural polymers are the main materials for controlled release of biocides and fertilizers. Natural polymers are preferred due to biodegradability, availability, and low cost. § Starch, chitosan, gelatin, dextran, albumin, lignin, chitin, cellulose, and alginic acid can be used as natural polymers in controlled release products. § Other biopolymers like PLA (polylactic acid), PLGA (poly lactide-co-glycolide) are fast gaining popularity.

Applications of Bionanotechnology in agriculture (Research) (Ghormade et al. / Biotechnology Advances 29 (2011) 792– 803)

Recent Breakthroughs using Nanotechnology in Agriculture (Products in Market) Product Application Institution* Nanocides pesticides encapsulated in nanoparticles for controlled release BASF nanoemulsions for greater efficiency Syngenta Bucky ball fertilizer ammonia from buckyballs Kyoto Univ, Japan Nanoparticles Adhesion-specific nanoparticles for removal of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry Clemson Univ. Food packaging airtight plastic packaging with silicate nanoparticles Bayer Use of agricultural waste nanofibres from cotton waste for improved strength of clothing Cornell univ Precision agriculture nanosensors linked to GPS for real-time monitoring of soil conditions and crop growth Mukhopadhyay 2014, Nanotechnology, Science and Applications 7 : 63– 71 USDA

Our Work at TERI q Multidisciplinary research with a common vein “Nano-science” since 2011 q Core research areas include Agriculture, Bioremediation, and Bioenergy with the bridging Computational and Functional genomics. q Priorities for sustainable agriculture: § Biologicals and their improvement using Nanotechnology tools § Nanonutrient delivery in cropping systems § Nano/Biosensors for disease forecasting § Environmental health and industrial overburdens solutions

Biological Seed coating: Next revolutionary step in agriculture Breun Symbiotic sciences KWS Biological seed coating Trials SFCI PAU Kwizda FABA Bayers q Large variety of seeds tested in field q Technology can be applied for seed treatment, Root dipping; Irrigation compatible q Increase in yield was observed with reduction of fertilizer by 25 %

Global users of TERI’s Mycorrhizal Seed Coating Mycorrhizal seed coating • Successful mycorrhizal seed coating trials was done on variety of crops like maize, wheat, gram, barley, Jowar, vegetable crops etc. in India and Europe • Increases in root biomass in all the crops

Nanomaterials for solutions in Agriculture Fabricated Nanoparticles of 50 nm size for delivery of nutrients and biofertilizers Synthesized colloidal, monodisperse, spherical and ruby red coloured Gold Nanoparticles of size ~20 nm for soil pathogen detection

Plant Biotic Stress Management by RNAi Approach

Issues to Address q New, robust products covering other areas not touched till now. q Cost of processing of nano encapsulated formulations needs to be low, not damage the environment, plant and soil, and nano carrier additives should be safe to the environment when handling and disposal q They should not have environmental impact due to degradation and additives in response to heat, hydrolysis, oxidation, solar radiation and biological agents, and be approved by regulatory agencies. q The size and dissolvability of nanoparticles may also mean contamination of soils, waterways and food chains and toxins released to the environments, so these issues need to be addressed sufficiently q Thorough studies are required to evaluate biotransformation of nanomaterials in the environment q Regulatory framework and guidelines for use and application of bionanotechnology

Take – Away Messages § Novel applications of nanotechnology across the agri-food system are emerging from a growing alliance between the corporate food sector and scientific communities. § Industrial and scientific collaboration strategically place the corporate sector to shape the research trajectory and commercial applications of nanotechnology, and the future of agri-food systems.

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