Challenges and Limitations of Chitin-Based Nanoparticles in Agriculture
摘要
Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are causing environmental pollution through eutrophication and persistence. Due to this, the synthetic chemicals used in the agriculture sector need to be replaced with natural sources. Several researches indicated chitin, the second most abundant natural polymer next to cellulose, and its derivative, nanochitn, have shown promising uses in the agricultural sector. The main potential areas are growth promoters, fertilizers, insecticidal, antifungal, seed treatment, and antitranspirant or leaf sealant. However, chitin still needs to be fully utilized because of various challenges and limitations. These include chitin isolation and nano chitin preparation difficulties, insect pests’ nature and resistance, and chitin's phytotoxicity. In addition, Chitin's low water solubility and adsorption of heavy metals limited its use in agriculture; for that, its nano form, nano chitin, was reported to solve these drawbacks. Therefore, the application to the limitation of chitin nanoparticles is reviewed in this chapter.