Enhancing crop resilience towards drought: by integrating nanotechnology, microbiomes, and growth-promoting rhizobacteria

The complexity of plant traits and involvement of a number of genes, decreasing progress in the genetic engineering and the molecular breeding mainly hinders the quest to enhance the drought resistance in crops. A viable short-term solution could be the Chemical priming but its high cost and potential environmental risks, like altering the fertility of soil and affecting the ecosystems, limits the widespread adoption of it in natural farming. To sustainably and efficiently enhancing the crop resilience to drought, there is a potential need of innovative techniques. Due to the unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials, the nanotechnology presents a promising avenue. These nano-materials can potentially improve the efficiency of water use, uptake of nutrients and tolerance of stress in plants. For instance, the nanoparticles can be efficiently used in delivering the nutrients and water more effectively to roots of plant, can reduce loss of water by forming protective coatings on leaf surfaces and by enhancing photosynthesis efficiency under stressful conditions. Moreover, nanomaterials can be engineered in a specific way to release beneficial compounds in a controlled manner, which minimizes the environmental impacts and maximizes the plant uptake. In parallel, harnessing the capabilities of plant microbiomes offers an environmentally friendly approach. Microbiomes, present abundant in natural ecosystems, exhibit high metabolic flexibility and physiological tolerance, contributing significantly to the availability of nutrients and stress mitigation in the plants. They achieve this through processes such as nitrogen fixation, solubilization of various minerals and production of beneficial compounds like exopolysaccharides and hormones. Leveraging microbiomes in agriculture could enhance crop resilience to drought while promoting the sustainable farming practices. Looking forward, integrating nanotechnology with microbiome-based approaches holds promise for synergistically enhancing crop drought resistance. By combining precise nutrient delivery and stress tolerance support from microbiomes, this integrated strategy could offer a robust solution to the challenges posed by drought in agriculture. Embracing these advancements represents a forward-looking approach towards sustainable food production in a changing climate landscape.