Multifunctional Nanoparticles and Nano-Enabled Pesticides, Herbicides and Fertilizers in Agricultural Applications

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agroecology Innovation: Achieving System Resilience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 836

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate and Research Division, Engineering Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas, Santiago de Querétaro 76010, Mexico
Interests: nanomaterials; composite materials; nanotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Campus Amazcala, Autonomous University of Querétaro, Carretera Chichimequillas, km 1 S/N, El Marqués, Querétaro 76265, Mexico
Interests: secondary metabolites; nutraceuticals; biotic and abiotic stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology has revolutionized agricultural sciences, offering innovative solutions to enhance crop productivity, mitigate environmental stress, and reduce chemical inputs. Among these advancements, multifunctional nanoparticles and nano-enabled agrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers) have emerged as promising tools to increase agricultural sustainability while ensuring food security. These nanomaterials enable the targeted delivery, controlled release, and enhanced bioavailability of active compounds, minimizing unintended environmental impacts. However, challenges related to nanotoxicity, regulatory frameworks, and large-scale implementation still require further investigation. This Special Issue aims to explore recent breakthroughs and future perspectives in the development and application of nanotechnology in agriculture, with a particular focus on nano-enabled agrochemicals and their role in sustainable farming.

The development of nano-enabled pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers presents an opportunity to overcome these challenges by enhancing efficiency, reducing dosage requirements, and ensuring precise delivery mechanisms. Additionally, the multifunctionality of nanoparticles—such as their antimicrobial properties, controlled release capabilities, and plant stress mitigation potential—positions them as cutting-edge tools in modern agricultural practices.

This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive platform for the latest advances in multifunctional nanoparticles and nano-enabled agrochemicals in agricultural applications. It aims to highlight the following topics:

  • Novel nanomaterials designed for precision agriculture.
  • Advanced formulations of nano-pesticides, nano-herbicides, and nano-fertilizers.
  • Mechanisms of interaction between nanoparticles and plant systems.
  • Environmental and toxicological considerations of nano-agrochemicals.
  • The role of nanotechnology in enhancing crop resilience to biotic and abiotic stress.
  • Regulatory frameworks and sustainability considerations in nano-agriculture.

We invite high-quality original research articles, reviews, and perspectives addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • The synthesis and characterization of nano-enabled agrochemicals.
  • Experimental studies on the efficacy, uptake, and translocation of nano-agrochemicals in crops.
  • Risk assessments on the environmental fate of nanomaterials in agricultural ecosystems.
  • Case studies on field applications of multifunctional nanoparticles.
  • Interdisciplinary approaches integrating nanotechnology with sustainable agriculture.

Policy and regulatory challenges surrounding nanotechnology applications in agriculture. 

Dr. Karen Esquivel Escalante
Prof. Dr. Ana Angelica Feregrino Perez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanotechnology
  • nano-herbicides
  • nano-pesticides
  • nano-fertilizers
  • agriculture
  • food safety
  • plant stress
  • nanotoxicology
  • nutraceuticals
  • crop health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

57 pages, 1848 KiB  
Review
Selenium Nanoparticles (Se NPs) as Agents for Agriculture Crops with Multiple Activity: A Review
by Dmitry E. Burmistrov, Sergey A. Shumeyko, Natalia A. Semenova, Alexey S. Dorokhov and Sergey V. Gudkov
Agronomy 2025, 15(7), 1591; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071591 - 29 Jun 2025
Viewed by 436
Abstract
This review article is devoted to the use of selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) in plant production. The review analyzes relevant literature data for the last 10 years, considering the effect of Se NPs application on morphometric and biochemical parameters of plants. A number [...] Read more.
This review article is devoted to the use of selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) in plant production. The review analyzes relevant literature data for the last 10 years, considering the effect of Se NPs application on morphometric and biochemical parameters of plants. A number of actual works demonstrating the efficiency of Se NPs use in the composition of nanocomposites based on synthetic and natural polymers are considered separately. Possible mechanisms of Se NPs absorption and transport and their further activity in plant cells of agricultural crops in the context of biostimulating, biofortification, nutraceutical, and antioxidant activities of Se NPs, as well as the efficiency of Se NPs application under stress factors are discussed. The review provides data demonstrating the antibacterial and antifungal activities of Se NPs in the context of their activity against a wide range of phytopathogens. Also, we conduct a detailed comparative analysis of the relative efficiency of Se NP application with mineral Se-containing compounds (SeO32− and SeO42−), as well as organic forms of Se (SeCys and SeMet). Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop