‘NanoTechnology’ Advancing in Agriculture: Nano particles have Huge Beneficial Effect on Plant Growth

The goals of “nano-agriculture” include improving the productivity of plants for food, fuel, and other uses.
Scientists in Arkansas reported that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a huge beneficial effect in agriculture. Their study, scheduled for the October issue of ACS Nano, found that tomato seeds exposed to CNTs germinated faster and grew into larger, heavier seedlings than other seeds. That growth-enhancing effect could be a boon for biomass production for plant-based bio fuels and other agricultural products.

The scientists report the first evidence that CNTs penetrate the hard outer coating of seeds, and have beneficial effects. Nanotube-exposed seeds sprouted up to two times faster than control seeds and the seedlings weighed more than twice as much as the untreated plants. Those effects may occur because nanotubes penetrate the seed coat and boost water uptake, the researcher’s state. “This observed positive effect of CNTs on the seed germination could have significant economic importance for agriculture, horticulture, and the energy sector, such as for production of bio fuels.”