Recent Advances in Nano-Enabled Seed Treatment Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture: Challenges, Risk Assessment, and Future Perspectives

  Nano-Micro Letters, 15, 54 (2023)

Agro seeds are vulnerable to environmental stressors, adversely affecting seed vigor, crop growth, and crop productivity. Different agrochemical-based seed treatments enhance seed germination, but they can also cause damage to the environment; therefore, sustainable technologies such as nano-based agrochemicals are urgently needed. Nanoagrochemicals can reduce the dose-dependent toxicity of seed treatment, thereby improving seed viability and ensuring the controlled release of nanoagrochemical active ingredients However, the applications of nanoagrochemicals to plants in the field raise concerns about nanomaterial safety, exposure levels, and toxicological implications to the environment and human health. In the present comprehensive review, the development, scope, challenges, and risk assessments of nanoagrochemicals on seed treatment are discussed. Moreover, the implementation obstacles for nanoagrochemicals use in seed treatments, their commercialization potential, and the need for policy regulations to assess possible risks are also discussed. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that we have presented legendary literature to readers in order to help them gain a deeper understanding of upcoming nanotechnologies that may enable the development of future generation seed treatment agrochemical formulations, their scope, and potential risks associated with seed treatment.

State of the art on public risk assessment of combined human exposure to multiple chemical contaminants

Trends in Food Science & Technology, 55 (2016) 11–28

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2016.06.011

Concern about the effects on health of exposure of combined chemicals present in food, air or water are increasing nowadays. However, mechanism and effects of combined chemical contaminants are still poorly know.

This review deals with the variety of routes of these chemicals when enter the human body. The gaol is the development of a mechanism-based and quantitative framework for risk assessment to estimate the impact on human health and prevent exposure to multiple chemicals.

It has been shown that new studies should be developed taking into account cumulative effect of these substances and different tiers as external exposition, dietary exposition, lifestyle, age and economic factors. New techniques must also be implemented, mainly “omic” techniques, bioassay systems, mathematical modelling, quantitative structure-activity relationship models, and threshold of toxicological concern to develop databases. In conclusion, several programs should continuously be developed by different health agencies to have a better understanding of the effect of these substances and to develop a unified policy.