The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management

The growing global demand for food security requires a paradigm shift towards sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in weed management. Nanotechnology is emerging in agriculture as a useful tool to reduce the dosage and the negative effects of herbicides on the one side and to improve the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mirko La Iacona, Aurelio Scavo, Sara Lombardo, Giovanni Mauromicale
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/228
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832589411342090240
author Mirko La Iacona
Aurelio Scavo
Sara Lombardo
Giovanni Mauromicale
author_facet Mirko La Iacona
Aurelio Scavo
Sara Lombardo
Giovanni Mauromicale
author_sort Mirko La Iacona
collection DOAJ
description The growing global demand for food security requires a paradigm shift towards sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in weed management. Nanotechnology is emerging in agriculture as a useful tool to reduce the dosage and the negative effects of herbicides on the one side and to improve the bioherbicides efficiency on the other side. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the literature available on the topic, with particular reference to the main characteristics of nanoparticles for weed control and the main nanoformulations for herbicides and bioherbicides. Nanoformulations such as nanoemulsions, nanocapsules, nanospheres, silver nanoparticles and organic materials protect the active ingredients from environmental degradation and enable their controlled release, enhance foliar adhesion and facilitate the penetration into plant tissues while at the same time minimizing the off-target effects. The last paragraph reviews the recent advancements in the field of nanobioherbicides. Moreover, examples of nanoherbicide and nanobioherbicide application in laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions are collected and discussed. This review highlights the increasing efficiency and diffusion of nanoherbicides and nanobioherbicides, suggesting their introduction into sustainable and integrated weed management strategies. However, further research is still required to assess their effectiveness under natural conditions, improve their stability over time and study their bioaccumulation and toxicity toward non-target organisms.
format Article
id doaj-art-7f8e7500426f436bb8e4596518431ff3
institution Kabale University
issn 2073-4395
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-7f8e7500426f436bb8e4596518431ff32025-01-24T13:17:15ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115122810.3390/agronomy15010228The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed ManagementMirko La Iacona0Aurelio Scavo1Sara Lombardo2Giovanni Mauromicale3Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell’Annunziata, 98168 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, 95123 Catania, ItalyThe growing global demand for food security requires a paradigm shift towards sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in weed management. Nanotechnology is emerging in agriculture as a useful tool to reduce the dosage and the negative effects of herbicides on the one side and to improve the bioherbicides efficiency on the other side. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the literature available on the topic, with particular reference to the main characteristics of nanoparticles for weed control and the main nanoformulations for herbicides and bioherbicides. Nanoformulations such as nanoemulsions, nanocapsules, nanospheres, silver nanoparticles and organic materials protect the active ingredients from environmental degradation and enable their controlled release, enhance foliar adhesion and facilitate the penetration into plant tissues while at the same time minimizing the off-target effects. The last paragraph reviews the recent advancements in the field of nanobioherbicides. Moreover, examples of nanoherbicide and nanobioherbicide application in laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions are collected and discussed. This review highlights the increasing efficiency and diffusion of nanoherbicides and nanobioherbicides, suggesting their introduction into sustainable and integrated weed management strategies. However, further research is still required to assess their effectiveness under natural conditions, improve their stability over time and study their bioaccumulation and toxicity toward non-target organisms.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/228allelochemicalsnanoparticlesnanoformulationnanoencapsulationsustainabilityweed control
spellingShingle Mirko La Iacona
Aurelio Scavo
Sara Lombardo
Giovanni Mauromicale
The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
Agronomy
allelochemicals
nanoparticles
nanoformulation
nanoencapsulation
sustainability
weed control
title The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
title_full The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
title_fullStr The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
title_full_unstemmed The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
title_short The Exploitation of Nanotechnology in Herbicides and Bioherbicides: A Novel Approach for Sustainable Weed Management
title_sort exploitation of nanotechnology in herbicides and bioherbicides a novel approach for sustainable weed management
topic allelochemicals
nanoparticles
nanoformulation
nanoencapsulation
sustainability
weed control
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/228
work_keys_str_mv AT mirkolaiacona theexploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT aurelioscavo theexploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT saralombardo theexploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT giovannimauromicale theexploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT mirkolaiacona exploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT aurelioscavo exploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT saralombardo exploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement
AT giovannimauromicale exploitationofnanotechnologyinherbicidesandbioherbicidesanovelapproachforsustainableweedmanagement