Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Brunda BN and Roopam Kumawat

Abstract:
Nanotechnology offers a plethora of opportunities in every sector of the economy, which can influence our everyday lives. Several nanoparticles are being developed and employed daily across diverse fields such as agriculture, food, biomaterials, composites and polymers industries and health sector owing to their small size and large surface to volume ratio. Among these, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of leading interest in the present scenario, due to their distinctive properties such as chemical stability, good conductivity, catalytic activities etc. Generally, these nanoparticles are prepared by a variety of chemical and physical methods that are expensive, difficult to scale-up and may lead to generation of toxic by-products. Biological synthesis of AgNPs offers a green alternative. Green synthesis of AgNPs using microorganisms in particular for the ecofriendly has additional advantages due to their high growth rate, ease of cultivation and ability to grow in ambient conditions of temperature, pH and pressure. Therefore, microorganisms can serve as potential biofactories for clean, non-toxic and environmentally friendly synthesis of AgNPs. Soil microorganisms can be exposed to and affected by nanoparticles (NPs) that are either purposely released into the environment (e.g., nanoagrochemicals and NP-containing amendments) or reach soil as nanomaterial contaminants. It is crucial to evaluate the potential impact of NPs on key plant microbe symbioses such as mycorrhiza and rhizobia, which are vital for health, functioning and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. NPs may have neutral, negative or positive effects on development of mycorrhizal and rhizobial symbioses. The net effect of NPs on mycorrhizal development is driven by various factors. Rhizobia show differential responses to NPs depending on the NPs concentration and the properties of NPs, rhizobia, and growth substrate. This is so contradicting like we can use microorganisms for synthesis of NPs and the same NPs may be toxic to these beneficial microorganisms. So to safeguard these ecologically paramount associations, studies with respect to appropriate application rate and comprehensive (preferably case-specific) assessment of the context parameters i.e., the properties of NPs, microbial symbionts, and soil are needed to combat nano particles’ toxicity to beneficial micro organisms and effective usage of micro organisms for synthesis of nanoparticles.