Nanomaterials and agriculture – Bibliography

Public or para-public organizations

France

• ANSES, Opinion on the “analysis of the results of an exploratory study to measure the presence of nanoparticles in plant protection products and biocidal products and to propose, where appropriate, management measures to protect potentially exposed populations and the environment”, June 2025
• Center for Studies and Prospects (CEP), Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Transposing nanocarriers from the medical sector to agricultural production: a literature review, March 12, 2020
• Joint Consultative Ethics Committee for Agricultural Research, CIRAD / INRA, Opinion on nanoscience and nanotechnology, December 2012
• French Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Food risks – Nanotechnologies in food, October 2012
• National Consumer Council(CNC), Report on nanotechnology, June 2010
• Afsset (now ANSES), Évaluation des risques liés aux nanomatériaux pour la population générale et pour l’environnement, March 2010 (chapter 6.6 : Produit alimentaire et silice)
• Conseil national de l’alimentation(CNA), Opinion on the development of new technologies in the manufacture, packaging and preservation of foodstuffs, 10 June 2009
• Afssa (now ANSES), Nanotechnologies and nanoparticles in food and feed, March 2009
• Ministry of Agriculture, chapters on Food and Agriculture and Food Regulation in the Dossier du Maître d’ouvrage of the 2009-2010 national public debate on nanotechnology, 2009
• CNDP, Synthesis of the public debate in Rennes on Nanotechnologies and Food, January 2010
  
  

European Institutions

• Innovamol for the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON), part of the European Chemicals agency (ECHA), Collection and review of information on nanomaterial-based and nanoenabled plant protection products, biocidal products and fertilising products, November 2024.
• European Commission, DG Environment, Nanopesticides may have the potential to increase food production – but are they environmentally safe?, “Science for Environment Policy” News Alert, 22 March 2021
• European Parliament / Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA), Precision agriculture in Europe – Legal, social and ethical considerations, November 2017
• JRC, European Commission, Proceedings of a Workshop on “Nanotechnology for the agricultural sector: from research to the field”, 2014
• Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments (EFSA) :
  • EFSA, Annual report of the EFSA Scientific Network of Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed for 2016, novembre 2016
  • EFSA / Rikilt et JRC, Inventory of Nanotechnology applications in the agricultural, feed and food sector, juin 2014
  • EFSA, Annual report of the EFSA Scientific Network of Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed for 2013, décembre 2013
  • EFSA, Rapport annuel 2012 du Réseau scientifique d’évaluation des risques des nanotechnologies dans l’alimentation humaine et animale, décembre 2012
  • EFSA, Document d’orientation à destination des entreprises concernant l’évaluation des risques liés à l’utilisation de nanomatériaux manufacturés dans l’alimentation humaine et animale, mai 2011
  • Joint Research Center (JRC), European Commission, Detection of nanoparticles in the food chain – Challenges for legislators. industry and control laboratories, 2012

International Institutions

• UNEEP, Plastics in Agriculture – An Environmental Challenge. Foresight Brief 029. Nairobi, United Nations Environment Programme (2022).
• OECD, Fate of manufactured nanomaterials in sewage treatment plants and agricultural land application, November 2015.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization(WHO):
  • Assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability. A call for action. FAO, Rome, 2021
  • State of the art on the initiatives and activities relevant to risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectorsJuly 2013Draft document presenting initiatives and activities relevant to risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors, June 2012
  • FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on the Application of Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture: Potential Impact on Food Security – Report of the meeting, 2011

Elsewhere in the world

• United States Environmental protection agency (EPA), Advancing EPA’s Understanding of the Next Generation of Pesticides, May 9, 2022
• The Connecticut Agricultural Experimentation Station, Engineered Nanomaterials in Agriculture: Implications and Applications, Webinar, HSPH-NIEHS Nanosafety Center (USA) webinar, May 3, 2017
• Food Standards Agency (UK): section dedicated to nanotechnologies in food
• Commission de l’éthique en science et en technologie (Québec), Ethical issues of nanotechnologies in the agri-food sector, 2011
• Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (Belgium) (2010). Proceedings of the conference Nanotechnology in the Food Chain: Opportunities and Risks, 2010
• House of Lords (UK), Science and Technology Committee, Nanotechnologies and Food, January 2010
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland, The Relevance for Food Safety of Applications of Nanotechnology in the Food and Feed Industries, 2008
• Institute of Nanotechnology (UK), Nanoforum consortium, Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food, 2006

Non-governmental organizations

In French:

• RAGSTER, PESTICIDES + NANO: the effects on our health, 2018 (or 2019?)
• AVICENN / Inf’OGM, Interview – Nanos in agriculture?“, August 2016
• Afa, Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies in agriculture / Questions for agronomy, AE&S Journal, vol.5, no.2, 15, December 2015
• AVICENN, Agriculture et nanomatériaux : comment assurer une meilleure transparence et traçabilité, veillenanos.fr, April 2015
• Friends of the Earth (France), Small ingredients, big risks – Nanomaterials are rapidly invading our food and agriculture, November 2014
• ETC Group, The atomized farm – the impact of nanotechnology on agriculture and food, November 2004

In English:

• → See AVICENN @VeilleNanos’ articles related to ‘nanos & agriculture’
• AVICENN / Inf’OGM, Nanotechnologies in the field: nothing new in twenty years?, February 2025
• AVICENN, Study proposal – Information on nano-enabled pesticides and fertilizers, sent to the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) in partnership with CIEL, ClientEarth, EEB and HEAL, in response to the public calls from EUON, 31 July 2022
• CIEL, Sowing a Plastic Planet. How Microplastics In Agrochemicals is Affecting our Food, our Soils, our Future, May 2022.
• IATP, The Next Big (Pesticide) Thing and Protecting Farmworker Health, May 25, 2022
• IATP, Nano-pesticides: Can they be self-regulating? Steve Suppan, November 6, 2020
• IATP, Future of U.S. federal nanotechnology: ‘safe by design’ product commercialization, Aug. 29, 2019
• IATP, Applying Nanotechnology to Fertilizer – Rationales, research, risks and regulatory challenges, October 2017
• Friends of the Earth (Australia), Nanomaterials and agriculture – Factsheet, September 2014
• Friends of the Earth (Australia), Way too little: our government’s failure to regulate nanomaterials in food and agriculture, May 2014
• Friends of the Earth (USA), Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks: Nanomaterials rapidly entering food and farming, May 2014 with a French version released in November 2014
• IATP, Nanomaterials In Soil – Our Future Food Chain?
• As You Sow, Slipping Through the Cracks: An Issue Brief on Nanomaterials in Foods, February 2013
• IFOAM: Food, Agriculture and Nanotechnology: Applying the Snow White Test to the Nano-Apple, February 2011
• Friends of the Earth, Out of the laboratory and on to our plates: Nanotechnology in food and agriculture, 2008 (a summary in French can be downloaded here).

Media

In French:

• Nanopesticides : holes in the regulatory racket, Le Sillon belge, 8 December 2024
• Nanopesticides, the invisible innovation, Agra Presse, 14 November 2024
• Pesticides: the emergence of new nanometric technologies takes place in the fog, Actu Environnement, 7 March 2024
• Nanopesticides right down our nostrils, Fabrice Nicolino, Charlie Hebdo, 5 November 2019
• New technologies for agriculture, Digital Century, June 25, 2019: A team of researchers from Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), have just published the result of their work that shows that the introduction of gold nanoparticles would allow the delivery of agrochemicals from the leaves to the roots of a plant.
• Nanos in pesticides, Health & Work, January 2019
• United Arab Emirates: clay to turn desert into farmland, The Sustainable News, May 9, 2018
• This innovative Russian fertilizer will limit the environmental impact of agriculture, Sputnik, November 3, 2017
• Interview – Nanos in agriculture?Inf’OGM, n°141, September-October 2016
• Tomato growth stimulated with nanoparticle spray, Infohigtech,November 10, 2015

In English:

• Nanotechnology promises to help farmers cut pesticide use – but could also make chemicals more toxic, The Conversation, 23 February 2024
• Tiny nanotechnologies are poised to have a huge impact on agriculture, The Conversation, 25 April 2021
• Nanoparticle fertilizer could contribute to new ‘green revolution’ – “Urea-Hydroxyapatite Nanohybrids for Slow Release of Nitrogen,“ ACS, January 25, 2017
• Food crop yield to benefit from nanoparticle innovation, study predicts, Food Navigator, May 2016
• Scientists Say Supposedly Miraculous Ingredients in Weed Killers Don’t Actually Work, Mother Jones, July 29, 2015
• Everything You Need To Know About Nanopesticides, Modern Farmer, January 21, 2015
• Chemical companies now adding untested nanoparticles to pesticide formulas, Benson J, Natural News, January 2014
• Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture?“, Phys.org, June 2012

Research

→ Selection of synthetic articles and literature reviews:

In French:

• Nanofertilizers and nanopesticides, emerging contaminants or real opportunities for agriculture ?, Christian Mougin, La Lettre de l’ARET (Association pour la Recherche en Toxicologie), 2022
• Reducing the use of plant protection products with nanoparticles, University of Freiburg, December 14, 2020
• Transposing nanocarriers from the medical sector to agricultural production: a literature review, Center for Studies and Prospects (CEP), Ministry of Agriculture and Food, March 12, 2020
• The infinitely small in agriculture, Camille Larue, Université fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, February 8, 2019
• Funding to study nanopesticides and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, University of Montreal, August 2018
• Nanoparticles in plant protection products and fertilizers: a study presents the state of knowledge, Agroscope, 7 May 2018
• Transfer of TiO2 nanoparticles in the food chain depends on soil texture, Synchrotron Soleil, May 3, 2018
• Applications of nanotechnology in agriculture and agri-food, Centre d’études et de prospective (CEP) of the Ministry of Agriculture, July 11, 2017 (on the article The rise of inorganic nanomaterial implementation in food applications, Food Control, 77: 251-259, July 2017)
• Nanotechnology in agriculture: next steps for understanding risk, Agri-Réseau, May 2016 (French summary of the article Nanotechnology in agriculture: next steps for understanding engineered nanoparticle exposure and risk, Servin AD and White JC, NanoImpact, 1: 9-12, 2016)
• Dynamics, reactivity and ecotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles in soils: impact on the functions and diversity of microbial communities, thesis by Marie Simonin (Microbial Ecology / UMR CNRS 5557 Claude Bernard University – Lyon 1), defended in October 2015(Abstract )(PDF )
• Myth or reality to come? Nanomaterials in plant protection products and fertilizers, November 2012: summary in French of the article Nanomaterials in Plant Protection and Fertilization: Current State, Foreseen Applications, and Research Priorities, Gogos A et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 60 (39), 9781-9792, September 2012
• Nanomaterials for agriculture, Electronic Bulletins USA, December 2012, French summary of the article Applications of nanomaterials in agricultural production and crop protection: A review, Lav R. Khot et al. May 2012
• Biodegradable nanocomposite materials for the controlled release of pesticides, thesis by Anne Chevillard, University of Montpellier 2 : PhD thesis, Biochemistry, chemistry and food technology, under the supervision of Gontard, Nathalie, 2011

In English:

• Copper nanoparticles in agriculture: from expected benefits of reduced copper use to toxicity on gut health, Casale E et al., Science of the Total Environment, 1004, November 2025
• Efficiency and safety of nanopesticides, it takes two to tango. An overview of the lack of data on possible effects on human health, Forest V, Pourchez J, Flahaut E, Science of The Total Environment, 973, April 2025
• Ageing influences the toxicity of two innovative nanofertilizers to the soil invertebrates Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida, C. Maleihro, Environmental Pollution, 350, June 2024
• Nano-enabled pesticides: a comprehensive toxicity assessment of tebuconazole nanoformulations with nematodes at single species and community level, Eghbalinejad, M. et al., Environ Sci Eur, 36, 51, March 2024
• Sustainability Claims of Nanoenabled Pesticides Require a More Thorough Evaluation,  Nederstigt T, Environ. Sci. Technol., 58, 5 : 2163–2165, January 2024 and Four Leiden Scientists: ‘Environmental risks of new pesticides with nanoparticles insufficiently examined’, Leiden University (press release), January 2024
• Effects of three tebuconazole nanopesticides on the survival of Daphnia magna, Eghbalinejad M et al., Environmental Science: Nano, 2024
• Nano-Agrochemicals as Substitutes for Pesticides: Prospects and Risks, Ali S et al, Plants, 13(1), 109, 2024
• Are nano-pesticides really meant for cleaner production? An overview on recent developments, benefits, environmental hazards and future prospectives, Rani et al, Journal of Cleaner Production, July 2023
• Nanotechnology-based pesticides: Environmental fate and ecotoxicity, Analía Ale et al, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 471, July 2023
• Uptake, accumulation, toxicity, and interaction of metallic-based nanoparticles with plants: current challenges and future perspectives, Basit, F et al., Environ Geochem Health, 45, 4165–4179, 2023
• Nano-pesticide carrier O-Carboxymethyl chitosan is indigestible in Apis cerana cerana and affects intestinal flora, Li S et al., Science of The Total Environment, 2023
• Trophic transfer of silver nanoparticles shifts metabolism in snails and reduces food safety, Fei Dang et al., Environment International, 176, 2023
• Translating controlled release systems from biomedicine to agriculture, Lee P et al.  Front. Front. Biomater. Sci., October 2022
• A comprehensive overview of nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture, Arora S et al., Journal of Biotechnology, 355 : 21-41, August 2022
• Are nanomaterials leading to more efficient agriculture? Outputs from 2009 to 2022 research metadata analysis, Santos E et al. Environ. Sci.: Nano, 9 : 3711-3724, August 2022
• Inorganic Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers: A View from the Mechanisms of Action to Field Applications, Fraceto L et al., Springer Nature, May 2022
• Biological Barriers, Processes, and Transformations at the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Interfaces Driving the Uptake, Translocation, and Bioavailability of Inorganic Nanoparticles to Plants., Avellan A et al., In Inorganic Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers (pp. 123-152). Springer International Publishing, May 2022
• Nano-enabled pesticides for sustainable agriculture and global food security, Nature Nanotechnology, Wang D et al, 17(4): 347-360, April 2022
• Comprehensive framework for human health risk assessment of nanopesticides, Nature Nanotechnology, Kah M, Johnston LJ, Kookana RS, September 2021
• Nanopesticides in Agriculture: Benefits and Challenge in Agricultural Productivity, Toxicological Risks to Human Health and Environment, Chaud M et al. Toxics, June 2021
• A critical review of the environmental impacts of manufactured nano-objects on earthworm species, Adeel M et al, Environmental Pollution, 290:118041, August 2021
• Ecotoxicological and regulatory aspects of environmental sustainability of nanopesticides, Grillo R et al, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 404, A, February 2021
• Critical review of the role of PPE in the prevention of risks related to agricultural pesticide use, Garrigou A et al, Safety Science, 123: 104527, 2020
• Silica nanoparticles enhance disease resistance in Arabidopsis plants, El-Shetehy M et al, Nature Nanotechnology, 2020
• Nano for agriculture, not the opposite, Editorial, Nature Nanotechnology, 15, 725, September 2020
• Guiding the design space for nanotechnology to advance sustainable crop production, Leanne M. Gilbertson et al, Nature Nanotechnology, 22 June 2020
• Pesticide Use with Nanotechnology, Cristina Sabliov, March 2020
• Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems: From Medicine to Agriculture, Vega-Vasquez P et al, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.February 2020
• Emerging investigator series: polymeric nanocarriers for agricultural applications: synthesis, characterization, and environmental and biological interactions, Shakiba S et al., Envronmental Science: Nano, January 2020
• Nanoparticle Size and Coating Chemistry Control Foliar Uptake Pathways, Translocation, and Leaf-to-Rhizosphere Transport in Wheat, Avellan A et al, ACS Nano, 13(5): 5291-5305, 2019
• Providing an insight into nano-enabled agriculture, Nature Nanotechnology, Volume 14, Issue 6, June 2019
• Nano-based smart pesticide formulations: Emerging opportunities for agriculture, Kumar S et al, Journal of Controlled Release, 294: 131-153, January 2019
• Plant nanobiotechnology for sustainable agriculture, Gregory V. Lowry, professor at Carnegie Mellon University invited by the Sustainable Environment team of CEREGE, July 2018
• Influence of soil type on TiO2 nanoparticle fate in an agroecosystem, Larue C et al, Sci Total Environ, 15(630) : 609-617, July 2018
• A critical evaluation of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers against their conventional analogues, Nature Nanotechnology, Kah M et al, 2018
• Will we be able to use zinc oxide nanoparticles as fertilizers?, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, October 2017
• NanoFARM: Using nanoparticles to grow food, Carnegie Mellon University, October 2017
• Nanotechnology in agriculture: Opportunities, toxicological implications, and occupational risks, Iavicoli I et al, Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 15;329:96-111, August 2017
• Fighting back against crop pests, University of Queensland, April 24, 2017
• Sustainability Challenges Involved in Use of Nanotechnology in the Agrofood Sector, Viacava GE et al, in Sustainability Challenges in the Agrofood Sector, Rajeev Bhat, 2017
• Impacts of (Nano)formulations on the Fate of an Insecticide in Soil and Consequences for Environmental Exposure Assessment, Kah M et al., About. Sci. Technol., 50 (20) : 10960-10967, 2016
• Nanomaterials for products and application in agriculture, feed and food, Peters RJB et al, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 54: 155-164, August 2016
• Enhancing the Mobilization of Native Phosphorus in the Mung Bean Rhizosphere Using ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Soil Fungi, Raliya R et al, J. Agric. Food Chem., 64 (16) : 3111-3118, 2016
• Nanotechnology in Agriculture: Next Steps for Understanding Engineered Nanoparticle Exposure and Risk, Servin AD and White JC, Nanoimpact, 2016
• Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers: Emerging Contaminants or Opportunities for Risk Mitigation, Kah M, Front Chem, 3: 64, November 2015
• Regulatory aspects of nanotechnology in the agri/feed/food sector in EU and non-EU countries, Amenta V et al, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 73(1): 463-476, October 2015
• Engineered nanomaterials in the agricultural environment: current state of applications and development of analytical methods, Gogos, A, thesis, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH-Zürich, 2015
• Nanotechnology in agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture in China. A reviewAgronomy for Sustainable Development, 35(2): 369-400, April 2015
• Nanotechnology in agro-food: From field to plate, Dasgupta N et al, Food Research International, 69: 381-400, March 2015
• Review of Russian nanoagents for crops treatment, Fedorenko VF et al, Nanotechnologies in Russia, 10(3-4): 318-324, March 2015
• Uptake and translocation of metals and nutrients in tomato grown in soil polluted with metal oxide (CeO2, Fe3O4, SnO2, TiO2) or metallic (Ag, Co, Ni) engineered nanoparticles, Enviro Sci Pollut Res, 2014
• Interactions between engineered nanomaterials and agricultural crops: implications for food safety, Journal of Zhejiang University SCIENCE A, 15(8): 552-572, August 2014
• Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs): applications, risk assessment, and risk management in the agriculture and food sectors, Ovissipour M et al, in Food Chemical Hazard Detection, March 2014
• Nanopesticides: State of Knowledge, Environmental Fate, and Exposure Modeling, Kah M et al., Crit. Rev. Env. Sci. Technol., 43(16), June 2013
• Nano-approaches in plant protection products and fertilizers. Myths, opportunities and risksGogos A et al, Newaginternational, 40-45, March-April 2013
• First record nanotechnology in agricultural: Silica nano- particles a potential new insecticide for pest control, El-bendary HM and El-Helaly AA, App. Sci. Report., 4 (3), 241-246, 2013
• Nanomaterials in Plant Protection and Fertilization: Current State, Foreseen Applications, and Research Priorities, Gogos A et al., J. Agric. Food Chem., 60 (39), 97819792, September 2012
• How helpful is nanotechnology in agriculture, Ditta A, Adv. Nat. Sci: Nanosci. Nanotechnol, 3, May 2012
• Some recent approaches to control Tuta absoluta in tomato under greenhouse conditions, Derbalah AS et al, African Entomology, 20(1): 27-34, 2012