Nano-Restoration for Sustaining Soil Fertility: A Pictorial and Diagrammatic Review Article
Hassan El-Ramady,
Eric C. Brevik,
Zakaria F. Fawzy,
Tamer Elsakhawy,
Alaa El-Dein Omara,
Megahed Amer,
Salah E.-D. Faizy,
Mohamed Abowaly,
Ahmed El-Henawy,
Attila Kiss,
Gréta Törős,
József Prokisch,
Wanting Ling
Affiliations
Hassan El-Ramady
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Eric C. Brevik
College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Zakaria F. Fawzy
Vegetable Crops Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
Tamer Elsakhawy
Agriculture Microbiology Department, Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute (SWERI), Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Agriculture Research Center, Kafr El-Sheikh 33717, Egypt
Alaa El-Dein Omara
Agriculture Microbiology Department, Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute (SWERI), Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Agriculture Research Center, Kafr El-Sheikh 33717, Egypt
Megahed Amer
Soil Improvement and Conservation Department, Water and Environment Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12622, Egypt
Salah E.-D. Faizy
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Mohamed Abowaly
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Ahmed El-Henawy
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Attila Kiss
Knowledge Utilization Center of Agri-Food Industry, University of Debrecen, Böszörményi út 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Gréta Törős
Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi Street, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
József Prokisch
Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi Street, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Wanting Ling
Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Soil is a real treasure that humans cannot live without. Therefore, it is very important to sustain and conserve soils to guarantee food, fiber, fuel, and other human necessities. Healthy or high-quality soils that include adequate fertility, diverse ecosystems, and good physical properties are important to allow soil to produce healthy food in support of human health. When a soil suffers from degradation, the soil’s productivity decreases. Soil restoration refers to the reversal of degradational processes. This study is a pictorial review on the nano-restoration of soil to return its fertility. Restoring soil fertility for zero hunger and restoration of degraded soils are also discussed. Sustainable production of nanoparticles using plants and microbes is part of the process of soil nano-restoration. The nexus of nanoparticle–plant–microbe (NPM) is a crucial issue for soil fertility. This nexus itself has several internal interactions or relationships, which control the bioavailability of nutrients, agrochemicals, or pollutants for cultivated plants. The NPM nexus is also controlled by many factors that are related to soil fertility and its restoration. This is the first photographic review on nano-restoration to return and sustain soil fertility. However, several additional open questions need to be answered and will be discussed in this work.
