Agricultural Sustainability through Nanotechnology

Ms. Mary Theresa is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the School of Biosciences of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. After her M.Sc. in Microbiology, she worked as a Junior Research Fellow in the KSCSTE-KBC-YIPB and KSCSTE-SRS projects and has authored many publications and book chapters. Her research focuses on the studies of defensive properties and molecular mechanisms of endophytic microorganisms and the formulation development of nano-based formulations for agricultural applications.Dr. Ashitha Jose completed her doctoral degree in Biosciences (Biochemistry) from Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam, Kerala, India. She is currently working as an associate scientific editor with Elsevier. She has authored several research papers and book chapters with various publishers. She has published one edited book and is currently editing another three books (with CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Scrivener Publishing partnering with Wiley and Sons, USA, and Elsevier). Her area of research includes the antimicrobial efficacy of various essential oils and the development and characterization of novel bionanocomposites emphasizing packaging applications.Dr. Jyotishkumar Parameswaranpillai is currently an Associate Professor at Alliance University Bangalore, India. His research includes nanocellulose, biocomposites, polymer blends, polymer coatings, active food packaging, and water purification. He conducted active research in Germany, Belgium, Thailand, and India. He had an H-index of 47 with more than 10311 citations in Google Scholar.Dr. Radhakrishnan E K is currently working as an Associate Professor at the School of Biosciences of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. During his 13 years of research, he has published 159 research publications, 55 book chapters and three review papers. He edited ten books from Springer Nature, Wiley, AAP, and Elsevier, and 19 books are in progress. He has 5734 citations and H-index of 43 and has delivered 90 invited talks at various national and international conferences and seminars. Recently, he has been listed as top 2% of scientists according to the Stanford University, USA, and Elsevier, the Netherlands database published in September 2022, 2023 and 2024. He has also been selected for Kairali Gaveshana Puraskaram by the Kerala Higher Education Council, Government of Kerala, in 2022. So far, 14 Ph.D.s have been completed under his guidance. He has the credit of four filed patents and two technology transfers. His team successfully launched an agriproduct in the market under the brand name Nanopower in 2022 in collaboration with ABTEC, Pvt, Ltd, Kottayam. He has completed ten major research projects from various funding agencies and has six ongoing projects as Principal Investigator. His research areas include plant microbe interactions, microbial natural products, microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles, antimicrobial resistance gene prediction, and development of polymer-based nanocomposites with antimicrobial effects for food packaging and medical applications. He is also mentoring four startups in various areas.

• 1. Introduction to nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture; Current perspectives2. Nanotechnology based biofortification for sustainable and holistic plant development3. Nanotechnology and plant probiotics for sustainable agriculture4. Nanotechnology to improve photosynthetic efficiency5. Nanocides and sustainable agriculture6. Nano integrated methods for plant disease management and sustainable agriculture7. Nanotechnology mediated organic amendments to meet the plant growth and development8. Nanotechnology to improve plant secondary metabolite production9. Nanotechnology mediated stress mitigation in plants10. Nano-biosensors for precision farming and sustainable agriculture11. Nano- bio sensors for environmental stress detection in sustainable agriculture12. Nanotechnology for post-harvest loss management13. Uptake, accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles in plants14. Impact of nanotechnological interventions on plant development, soil health and soil microbiome15. Biopolymers: A Versatile Nanocarrier for Smart Nutrient Delivery System for Agriculture16. Future scope of nanotechnology in agriculture; ethical concerns and international policies