Nanopesticides in agricultural pest management and their environmental risks: a review

Increasing global population demands modernization in agricultural production to achieve sustainable food security. The frequent pest infestation causes a signifcant economic loss and deleterious impact on agriculture production. While, the traditional application of conventional pesticides leads to loss of soil biodiversity, decline in pollinator population, and negative impacts on non-target organisms. In recent years, nanotechnology has gained much interest in agricultural application. Various studies have demonstrated the benefcial efect of engineered nanomaterials as an active ingredients or the nanoformulations in insect pest control and plant protection. Nanopesticides have shown more advantages over conventional pesticides in terms of high adsorption, reduced volatilization, improved tissue permeation, controlled release, etc. However, studies are also highlighting the potential toxicity of nanopesticides in non-target organism and their environmental risk. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive information on recent developments in nanopesticides and its consequences in the environment. This review highlights various aspects of nanopesticides including, preparation methods, types, characterization techniques, importance in pest control, toxicity in plant and animal models, environmental risk, and current approaches in risk assessment and regulatory strategies.