Nanotechnology for sustainable biotic stress management in plants

• The fast-growing global population has put tremendous pressure on existing agricultural practices to meet the nutritional demands. • The integration of nanotechnology in agriculture is an innovative and promising approach to sustainable food production and combating stresses. • Nanomaterials mitigate biotic stress through direct antimicrobial action (ROS generation, membrane disruption) and indirect pathways (systemic resistance induction) against fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and insects. • Nanoformulations enhance nutrient uptake and enable controlled and targeted delivery of agrochemicals. • Agriculture 4.0 technologies are being employed for precision agriculture to monitor crop health, nutrient levels, and detect plant pathogens in real time. The fast-growing global population and the scaling of traditional agricultural methods have led to challenges like facing lower yields and greater vulnerability to climate change. The need for sustainable approaches to meet the growing sustainable and environmentally compatible need of food worldwide is triggering the interest of the research to develop and also experiment with novel approaches and solutions. Biotic stress may adversely affect the crops and plants' productivity. Nanotechnology is an innovative and promising approach for mitigating, in particular, the biotic stress in plants. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials make them efficient in agricultural applications. The application of silver nanoparticles in Gossypium sp. has shown a general reduction in the percentage of infestation as 44.73% in the first season and 60.4% during the second season. Similarly, gold nanoparticles in Brassica juncea have shown a reduction in time required for seed germination. So far, there has been remarkable progress in comprehending nanomaterials' role in enhancing the plants' response to biotic stress. However, a comprehensive summary focusing on nanomaterial-mediated biotic stress management in plants is still lacking. To bridge the existing gap, the present review provides an up-to-date overview of the types, synthesis, effects, and mechanisms of action of nanomaterials with reference to the plants' responses to biotic stress. The need, role, and challenges associated with the recent nanotechnological advancements in fighting biotic stress in plants are critically discussed, along with the limitations and future prospective of nanomaterials in the field.