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| Interactions between engineered nanomaterials and agricultural crops: implications for food safety |
| Ying-qing Deng, Jason C. White, Bao-shan Xing |
| Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; Department of Analytical Chemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06504, USA |
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Abstract Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are being discharged into the environment and to agricultural fields, with unknown impacts on crop species. In this paper, we review the literature on ENMs uptake, translocation/distribution, and generational transmission in various crop species, as well as potential material trophic transfer. Previous studies reveal that ENM-exposed crops exhibit adaptive processes in response to stress, including endocytosis/endosome activities, production of antioxidant enzymes, regulation of genes related to cell division/extension and membrane transport. Some agronomic traits of crops are compromised during the adaption response, including photosynthesis, fruit yields, nutritional quality and nitrogen fixation. Cultivation of crops in ENMs-contaminated environments has unknown implications for food safety and quality. Notably, mechanisms underlying ENMs phytotoxicity and bioavailability are unclear. Additional investigations focused on developing novel techniques for in vivo identification/characterization of ENMs are critically needed. Given the abundance of uncertainty in the literature, it is clear that more research is urgently needed in the area of ENMs-crop interactions; only then can one accurately assess exposure, risk, and overall implications for food safety and also enable guidance development for the sustainable implementation of nanotechnology in agriculture and food production/manufacturing.
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Received: 08 June 2014
Published: 04 August 2014
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