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Bio-fortification is a potential technique to tackle micronutrient deficiencies that remain. Wheat grain bio-fortification has the ability to decrease malnutrition because it represents one of the most essential staple crops. Bio-fortification is cost-effective and evidence-based sustainable technique to address malnutrition in wheat varieties possessing additional micronutrient contents. Nano-biofortification is a novel approach, enriching crops with essential nutrients in order to supplement human diets with balanced diets. The current study was designed to explore the potential role of phytogenic iron nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) to enhance nutritional contents in wheat plants to fulfill the nutrient deficiency important for human and animal health. In the current study, Fe-NPs were fabricated by using the extract of Mentha arvensis L. that were irregular in shape with an approximate size range of 40–100 nm. Further, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses were deployed to confirm the presence of t of various functional groups involved in the green and eco-friendly fabrication of Fe-NPs. The effects of phytogenic Fe-NPs were examined on various physiological and biochemical parameters such as total proline, total chlorophyll, carbohydrates, protein, crude fibers, and lipids contents. Moreover, wheat physiological and biochemical profiling was carried out, and it was noticed that Fe-NPs significantly altered the physico-biochemical profiling of wheat plants. Multiple methods of administration of Fe-NPs were used to fortify the wheat crop. However, the Fe-NPs assisted seed priming along with foliar applications at various concentrations (10, 20, and 30 mg·L−1) were found more suitable to enhance the contents of proline, Chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, carbohydrate, proteins, fibers, and lipids (20.22%, 18.23%, 17.25%, 16.32%, 12.34%, 24.31%, 19.52%, and 11.97%, respectively) in wheat plants. Further, wheat flour was exposed to digestive enzymes, with the iron content gradually increased in a dose-dependent manner. The nutritional analysis of wheat zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), yttrium (Y), and copper (Cu) and the fatty acid profile have demonstrated divergent patterns of behavior. Similarly, iron content was also increased significantly in response to the exposure to Fe-NPs.

Nanotechnology investigates different promising methodologies in the space of material sciences on a sub-atomic level. Novel methodologies are expected for the accomplishment of protected and successful helpful medicines past the traditional ones, and society needs new prerequisites for innovations, moving towards perfect and green innovation improvement. This review study deals with topics related to green nanotechnology for the investigation of different assays such as anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-larval, and microbial. The confirmation of nanocomposite will be conformed using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction to determine the size, shape, and supporting material to stabilize and cap the agent. However, the biomedical application of the ZnO/TiO2 nanocomposite is also discussed. Furthermore, to their remarkable biocompatibility, ZnO/TiO2 has shown significant potential in bio-imaging, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. The biological activities of the green-produced nanoparticles are strong and they are employed in several biological applications across various assays. The current review covers the creation and most recent developments of bio-nanocomposite materials from plant sources (such as leaves, stems, bark, roots, rhizomes, fruits, flowers, and seeds), as well as their anti-cancer, diabetes-related, and anti-larval activities. This is followed by a thorough discussion of their mechanisms of action.

In the present era, due to the increasing incidence of environmental stresses worldwide, the developmental growth and production of agriculture crops may be restrained. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have precedence over other nanoparticles because of the significant role of selenium in activating the defense system of plants. In addition to beneficial microorganisms, the use of biogenic SeNPs is known as an environmentally friendly and ecologically biocompatible approach to enhance crop production by alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. This review provides the latest development in the green synthesis of SeNPs by using the results of plant secondary metabolites in the biogenesis of nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes with unique morphologies. Unfortunately, green synthesized SeNPs failed to achieve significant attention in the agriculture sector. However, research studies were performed to explore the application potential of plant-based SeNPs in alleviating drought, salinity, heavy metal, heat stresses, and bacterial and fungal diseases in plants. This review also explains the mechanistic actions that the biogenic SeNPs acquire to alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this review article, the future research that needs to use plant-mediated SeNPs under the conditions of abiotic and biotic stresses are also highlighted.

This study was carried out to analyze the effects of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on physiological, biochemical, and enzymatic attributes of rice plants against Aspergillus flavus. The plant-based AgNPs were synthesized by using the aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera leaves. The characterization of AgNPs was accomplished through UV-visible spectrophotometry, SEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, which confirmed that the nanoparticles are crystalline and are less than 100 nm in size. The exogenous applications of different concentrations of AgNPs (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L) on rice plants in field experiments were used to control the proliferation of A. flavus. The effects of biosynthesized AgNPs were evaluated for physiological (relative water content, membrane stability index, and chlorophyll content), nonenzymatic metabolites (total phenolic, total flavonoid, proline, soluble sugar, and protein contents), and enzymatic metabolites (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) in rice plants under biotic stress, and 50 mg/L concentration of AgNPs was found to be effective to elicit biochemical modifications to reduce biotic stress. The 50 mg/L concentration of AgNPs was also effective in controlling the proliferation of fungal pathogen. The applications of AgNPs reduced the biotic stress by decreasing the production level of osmolytes, enzymatic, and nonenzymatic compounds but significantly increased the protein content.

The present study was carried out to investigate the beneficial and toxicological effect of plant-based titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) on the morphophysiological attributes of wheat plants under salinity stress. The biogenesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles was accomplished by using the extract of Buddleja asiatica L. leaves followed by characterization through UV visible spectroscopy, SEM, FTIR, and EDX. NaCl salt was applied in two different concentrations after 21 days of germination followed by foliar applications of various concentrations of TiO2 NPs (20, 40, 60, 80 mg/L) to salinity-tolerant (Faisalabad-08) and salinity-susceptible (NARC-11) wheat varieties after 10–15 days of application of salt stress. Salinity stress showed remarkable decrease in morphophysiological attributes of selected wheat varieties. Magnificent improvement in plant height, dry and fresh weight of plants, shoot and root length, root and shoot fresh and dry weight, number of leaves per plant, RWC, MSI, chlorophyll a and b, and total chlorophyll contents has been observed when 40 mg/L of TiO2 NPs was used. However, the plant morphophysiological parameters decreased gradually at higher concentrations (60 and 80 mg/L) in both selected wheat varieties. Therefore, 40 mg/L concentration of TiO2 NPs was found most preferable to increase the growth agronomic and physiological attributes of selected wheat varieties under salinity.

The present study was aimed to biosynthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and assess their foliar applications to improve the growth of wheat plants under controlled irrigation and drought stress. Bud aqueous extract of Allium sativum L. was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent of SeNPs followed by their optical and morphological characterization by using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Various concentrations of SeNPs (10, 20, 30, and 40 mg/L) were applied exogenously to drought-tolerant (V1) and drought-susceptible (V2) wheat varieties at the trifoliate stage. Under the positive control conditions, plants were irrigated with 450 mL of water/pot (100% field capacity); and under water-deficit environment, plants were irrigated with 160 mL of water/pot (35% field capacity). Remarkable increase in plant height, shoot length, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, leaf area, leaf number, and leaf length has been observed when 30 mg/L concentration of SeNPs was used. However, the plant morphological parameters decreased gradually at higher concentrations (40 mg/L) in both selected wheat varieties. Therefore, 30 mg/L concentration of SeNPs was found most preferable to enhance the growth of selected wheat varieties under normal and water-deficient conditions.

Due to rapidly changing environmental conditions, virulent pathogens have arisen continuously that invades the crops and badly affects their yield and quality of the cash crops which results in economic losses. To overcome the prevalent infection of fungal pathogens, there is an utmost need to develop alternative techniques that avoid conventional agriculture practices. The use of various chemical fungicides is not an environmentally sustainable solution to fungal diseases because it produces environmental contamination and is dangerous for human health. Nanotechnology provides solutions to disease control issues in a significant way. The scientific and industrial systems are being changed by this development. Similarly, nano-based instruments are highly promising in the agriculture sector, particularly for the production of powerful formulations that require appropriate distribution of agrochemicals, nutrients, pesticides/insecticides, and even growth regulators for improved efficiency of use. Nanotechnology provides an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and alternative effective monitoring of agricultural fungal pathogens. Green nanotechnology is an innovative methodology that revolutionized the field of agriculture to solve these problems. Despite increasing plant growth, nanoparticles meet the agriculture demand for high yield. This study mainly focuses on the promise of various methods for the treatment of fungal diseases through nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]