Carbon-Based Nanoparticles: Graphene Oxide (GO)-Biotic Stress Minimizers in Plants

Agriculture has been a major backbone of the world’s economy since ancient civilizations. In recent years agricultural productions have gained a remarkable boost due to excessive usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, hence killing the pathogens (Verticillium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotium, Macrophomina, Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Agrobacterium, aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, etc.) at a significant rate, but these chemicals are dramatically hazardous to the environment at the same time, leading to the appearance of microbial pathogens with increased virulence which attacks the crop plant and deteriorates yield many folds. The encounter of all these problems lies in the development of some sustainable techniques or tools, warranting the significant check on fungal pathogenesis and post-harvest management. In the past two decades, nanotechnology has emerged as a revolutionary solution to manage disease effectively. Nanotechnology can effectively deliver agrochemicals like nutrients, fungicides, and growth regulators with increased efficiency and reduced toxic effects. Nowadays carbon-based nanomaterials specifically graphene oxide (GO) have become a hotspot for researchers/scientists due to their excellent physicochemical properties, as the best remedy for agricultural and environmental problems. Reduced GO is a better carrier for CuO, ZnO, and other nanoparticles as proved by research. Both alone GO and coupled with other nanoparticles have shown splendid potential toward control of Pseudomonas syringae, Ralstonia solanacearum, Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium oxysporum in different crops. Accompanied by antimicrobial potential, GO has been reported to have magnificent effects in the promotion of plant growth, altering metabolic activities (physiology, biochemistry, cytological structures, and gene expressions), hence improving plant health and enabling it to restrict pathogenic activities of plant pathogens.