Agrochemicals in a green nano-approach

The exacerbated use of agrochemicals to ensure food security in situations of population growth, generates progressive ecological instability, extreme global climate changes, water resource scarcity and soil deterioration, entailing to several obstacles in the generation of sustainable agriculture. The production of nanoparticles through a green approach portrays innovative and environmentally safe perspectives in agriculture, improving crop yield and excellence. The content of this mini review emphasizes a significant change in orientation towards sustainable technological advances in agriculture, from the perspective of nanotechnology associated with biological matrices, such as: bacteria, actinomycetes, cyanobacteria, yeasts, fungi, algae, microalgae and plants or plant extracts, which make the procedures more environmentally friendly and low cost, unlike traditional chemical and physical methods, which are high cost and generate toxic by-products. In this review, we analyze biosynthesized nanofertilizers and nanopesticides as emerging classes of fertilizers and pesticides developed using nanotechnology. Nanofertilizers provide advantages over traditional methods, such as increasing crop productivity at low cost, increasing plant production, improving nutrient use and soil vitality. Nanopesticides, due to their high efficacy and low toxicity, in addition to other characteristics such as targeted, slow and controlled release, have become interesting for use in sustainable agriculture. This review considered the latest nanotechnological advances using biological matrices in the design of nanofertilizers and nanopesticides as safe alternatives to agrochemicals.