Nanobiotechnology is a powerful tool to improve plant stress tolerance.

Abiotic stress, due to both natural and anthropogenic activities, alters the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum, which adversely affects crop growth, development, and productivity. Abiotic stresses, including heavy metals, salts, and temperature extremes, cause a significant reduction in crop yields worldwide. There is an imperative need for environmentally friendly techniques to combat these stresses and improve agricultural sustainability. Nanomaterials, both nanoscale materials and nanocomposites, are the magic bullets showing the ability to alleviate the constraints associated with environmental stresses.

Reactive oxygen species metabolism is detailed under normal versus stressed conditions, elaborating on the modes and process of uptake and translocation of nanoparticles. The two-fold regulatory roles of nanoparticles are discussed. A molecular dissection of the role of nanoparticles is presented, in controlling transcriptomic expression and modulating molecular crosstalk with other growth regulators, ions, reactive nitrogen species and other signalling molecules. Potential roles and regulation of nanoparticles and their utility for green synthesis within a sustainable agricultural industry are explored.

Heavy metals and metalloids pollution in the environment, particularly in soils, has gained increased attention globally. Zn²⁺ is a crucial nutrient for tolerance against heavy metals. This review illustrates the vital role of Zn²⁺ and nano Zn in plants and explains the knowledge of their impact in alleviating HMMs toxicity in plants.

Approximately 33% of the arable land around the world, including Pakistan, is vulnerable to drought, affecting the yield and productivity of cereal crops. It is hypothesised that benzothiazine (BTh) could alleviate abiotic stress caused by drought through salicylic acid accumulation in plants. We found that wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds primed with BTh derivatives could alleviate oxidative stress by increasing antioxidants, proline, soluble sugars and increasing fluxes of essential nutrients under drought stress.

Salt toxicity negatively affected physiochemical activities and growth of bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria L. Application of zinc oxide nanoparticless mitigated salt stress and enhanced biochemical stress-markers and antioxidant activity of plants. Plants treated with zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibited improved growth and reduced salt toxicity.

Nanostructure gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are biological active materialsthat has gained significant interest in the field of biomedicine. We investigated a novel and cost-effective way to synthesise Au NPs from mediated Viscum album Linn plant extract, where the plant metabolites act as stabilising and reducing agents. The mediated V. album plant extracts and synthesised Au NPs were screened against gram-positive and gram-negative (Enterobacter, Salmonella typhi, Escherichiacoli and Bacillus subtilis) bacterial strains, confirming their antibacterial potential.