Nanoparticles: New allies of agriculture

Abstract

Agricultural crops protection is essential for the production of safe food, now and in the future. However, the efficacy of pesticides is threatened by the evolution of resistant pathogens; for this reason, the generation of different strategies for pest management is important. Nanotechnology has developed materials with interesting antimicrobial properties, typical of nanometric levels; these materials are mainly metallic nanoparticles, which suggest the control of pests through various mechanisms of action, different from conventional pesticides. The evidence of scientific studies using different nanoparticles for the management of bacteria, fungi and viruses of agricultural interest is presented in this work.