Transformation of Agriculture through BioNanotechnology

Alok Adholeya

Director,

Research And technology Development

Mycorrhizal Applications. LLC

USA

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

Background

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.

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

Challenges for Scope of Intervention of BioNanotechnology

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

nano-seed varieties with in-built pesticides with triggered release

nano-techniques allow altering nutritional composition, flavour and other attributes of food to suit physiological requirements

innovative food packaging able to detect the presence of pathogens.

Bionanotechnology : next wave of development and transformation of agri-food systems

Duncan TV. Nature Nanotechnology 6, 683–688 (2011)

Areas of Involvement of BioNanotechnology

Dasgupta et al., Food Research International 69 (2015) 381–400

Applications of BioNanotechnology

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.

NanoFertilizers / Nanopesticides

Bionanotechnology in plant protection

Nanoparticles in controlling plant

diseases

Nano Carbon Nano Silver Silicon Nano-sized

SilicaSilver Nano Alumino-

Silicate

Fig. Applications of bionanotechnology in plant protection and nutrition (Ghormade et al. / Biotechnology Advances 29 (2011) 792–803)

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.

Natural Polymers in Bionanotechnology

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 agri-cultural 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

USDA

Mukhopadhyay 2014, Nanotechnology, Science and Applications 7 : 63–71

Our Work at TERI

Multidisciplinary research with a common vein “Nano-science” since 2011

Core research areas include Agriculture, Bioremediation, and Bioenergy with the bridging Computational and Functional genomics.

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

Large variety of seeds tested in field Technology can be applied for seed treatment, Root dipping; Irrigation

compatible Increase in yield was observed with reduction of fertilizer by 25 %

Biological seed

coating

Trials

Breun

KWS

Kwizda

FABA

Bayers

PAU

SFCI

Symbiotic

sciences

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

Fabricated Nanoparticles of 50nm 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

Nanomaterials for solutions in Agriculture

Plant Biotic Stress Management by RNAi Approach

New, robust products covering other areas not touched till now. 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 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. 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 Thorough studies are required to evaluate biotransformation of nanomaterials in

the environment Regulatory framework and guidelines for use and application of bionanotechnology

Issues to Address

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.

Thank You for Your Attention !