About this Research Topic

Background

Chitosan nanoparticles (ChNP) have gained increased attention owing to their non-toxic biodegradable nature and wide spectrum of antimicrobial properties. However, the application of ChNP has primarily concentrated on the medical aspects- with ChNP finding its use in drug delivery and as an antimicrobial agent. In addition to its medical applications, ChNP can also be used in agricultural fields as a plant defense elicitor, plant growth promoting agent, edible non-toxic coating agent for fruits and vegetables and even in the florist industry to increase the shelf life of flowers. The application of ChNP is vast and diverse. This is an under-explored area and this article collection aims to create good reference material to demonstrate the uses of ChNP as an alternative to the chemicals that are being used in the agricultural sector. These chemicals are currently a source of pollution in the environment, and the requirement for an alternative to agricultural chemicals containing pollutants is imperative.

The ever-increasing world population is creating increased demand on agricultural products. This, in addition with the cultivable land space remaining the same, pushes the agricultural industry to find means to increase yield from the farms. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by large-scale industrial agriculture has taken a toll on the environment, due to fertilizer runoff and methane emissions. In addition, intensive farming causes habitat destruction, degradation of cultivable land, introduction of chemicals to ecosystems, food chains and subsequently to the environment and most importantly loss of natural resources. Chitosan nanoparticles (ChNP) are an excellent solution to this problem as even in its nanoform chitosan has been demonstrated to be non-toxic. ChNP has antimicrobial properties over a wide spectrum of plant pathogens and can be used as a defense elicitor in crop plants. ChNP can be a stepping stone to promoting sustainable agriculture with ChNP having the potential to improve soil fertility and acting as a plant growth promoter.
Chitosan nanoparticles (ChNP) with their properties and plant growth promoting abilities are still an under-used resource that has potential to be a solution to the pollution caused by industrial farming. In this Research Topic compilation, we aim to bring the spotlight on ChNP and its various applications in the agricultural field. There is a significant amount of research being undertaken in this area, but it is scattered and gets drowned among the numerous research work on the medical applications of ChNP.
This Research Topic can act as an encyclopedia for the application of ChNP in agricultural fields with the key area of focus being the following applications and properties of ChNP:

• Antimicrobial activity of ChNP against plant pathogens
• Plant growth promoting (PGP) ability of ChNP
• Mechanism of PGP of ChNP
• ChNP as an edible coating agent for fruits and vegetables

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: chitosan nanoparticles, plant protection, ChNP, increased shelf life, food waste, agriculture, plant defense elicitor, vegetable coating, shelf life, plants, agricultural crops, production, sustainability

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