The changing climatic conditions have led to the concurrent emergence of virulent microbial pathogens that attack crop plants and exhibit yield and quality deterring impacts on the affected crop. To counteract, the widespread infections of fungal pathogens and post-harvest diseases it is highly warranted to develop sustainable techniques and tools bypassing traditional agriculture practices. Nanotechnology offers a solution to the problems in disease management in a simple lucid way. These technologies are revolutionizing the scientific/industrial sectors. Likewise, in agriculture, the nano-based tools are of great promise particularly for the development of potent formulations ensuring proper delivery of agrochemicals, nutrients, pesticides/insecticides, and even growth regulators for enhanced use efficiency. The development of novel nanocomposites for improved management of fungal diseases can mitigate the emergence of resilient and persistent fungal pathogens and the loss of crop produce due to diseases they cause. Therefore, in this review, we collectively manifest the role of nanocomposites for the management of fungal diseases.

Lignin is a natural biopolymer. A vibrant and rapid process in the synthesis of silica nanoparticles by consuming the lignin as a soft template was carefully studied. The extracted biopolymer from coir pith was employed as capping and stabilizing agents to fabricate the silica nanoparticles (_nSi). The synthesized silica nanoparticles (_nSi) were characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). All the results obtained jointly and independently verified the formation of silica nanoparticles. In addition, EDAX analysis confirmed the high purity of the _nSi composed only of Si and O, with no other impurities. XRD spectroscopy showed the characteristic diffraction peaks for _nSi and confirmed the formation of an amorphous nature. The average size of _nSi obtained is 18 nm. The surface charge and stability of _nSi were analyzed by using the dynamic light scattering (DLS) and thus revealed that the _nSi samples have a negative charge (−20.3 mV). In addition, the seed germination and the shoot and root formation on Vigna unguiculata were investigated by using the _nSi. The results revealed that the application of _nSi enhanced the germination in V. unguiculata. However, further research studies must be performed in order to determine the toxic effect of biogenic _nSi before mass production and use of agricultural applications.

Nanotechnology has an extensive series of applications in agronomy and has an important role in the future of sustainable agriculture. The agricultural industries should be supported by innovative active materials such as nanofertilizers, nanofungicides, and nanopesticides. It is necessary in the current situation to meet the dietary needs of the constantly expanding world population. Nearly one-third of crops grown conventionally suffer damage, mostly as a result of pest infestation, microbiological assaults, natural disasters, poor soil quality, and a lack of nutrients. To solve these problems, we urgently need more inventive technology. The application of nanotechnology in agriculture provides intelligent methods for delivering nutrients, herbicides, and genetic materials for improving soil fertility, stress tolerance, and protection. The world is currently confronting significant issues related to the rising demand for enough food and safe food as well as dealing with the environmental damage caused by traditional agriculture. Nanomaterials have important applications in agriculture for increasing plant growth and development and the quality and quantity of the crops and controlling and managing agricultural diseases. The major objective of this article is to describe the various applications and importance of nanoparticles in the agriculture sector.

To develop a benign nanomaterial from biogenic sources, we have attempted to formulate and fabricate silver nanoparticles synthesized from the culture filtrate of an endophytic fungus Penicillium oxalicum strain LA-1 (PoAgNPs). The synthesized PoAgNPs were exclusively characterized through UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The synthesized nanoparticles showed strong absorbance around 430 nm with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and exhibited a face-centered cubic crystalline nature in XRD analysis. Proteins presented in the culture filtrate acted as reducing, capping, and stabilization agents to form PoAgNPs. TEM analysis revealed the generation of polydispersed spherical PoAgNPs with an average size of 52.26 nm. The PoAgNPs showed excellent antibacterial activity against bacterial pathogens. The PoAgNPs induced a dose-dependent cytotoxic activity against human adenocarcinoma breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231), and apoptotic morphological changes were observed by dual staining. Additionally, PoAgNPs demonstrated better larvicidal activity against the larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus. Moreover, the hemolytic test indicated that the as-synthesized PoAgNPs are a safe and biocompatible nanomaterial with versatile bio-applications.