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Architecting seed resilience: a safe-by-design and microplastic-free nanoenabled framework for advanced seed priming and sustainable agriculture
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This review paper examines seed coating methods that avoid plastic based materials, which are currently used to protect seeds but contribute to microplastic pollution. It summarizes research on plant based alternatives, such as fibers, carriers and extracts, and identifies gaps in testing and rules needed before wider use.
Traditional seed coating technologies continue to use petroleum-based synthetic polymers as a seed coating material, which are causing microplastic pollution, which are unable to precisely deliver the active ingredients simultaneously under abiotic and biotic stress. While nanoenabled and biopolymer films have been extensively investigated, the majority of the available reviews are still descriptive and fail to provide an integrative approach that relates the design of materials with seed physiology, process engineering and regulatory readiness. This review aims to fill this gap by discussing microplastic-free nanoenabled seed priming platforms such as bio-based electrospun nanofibers, peptide-functionalized carriers, plant-derived extracellular vesicles, and stimuli-responsive smart biopolymers. We look at the modulation of ROS, hormonal signalling, stress memory and the seed microbiome in these systems and evaluate the technology readiness level, scale-up challenges and analytical needs. There are three significant gaps identified, lack of quantitative understanding of the polymer-seed interface; lack of multi-location field validation; and regulatory issues for advanced bio-platforms. We discuss that this will be achieved by implementing a safe-by-design roadmap, with standardized characterization protocols, long-term field testing with dose–response designs, and harmonized regulatory processes. The creation of molecular design, its translation to practices and sustainable agriculture targets makes the route of microplastic-free nano-priming an appealing one to address SDG 2, SDG 12 and SDG 13, climate-resilient and climate-friendly agriculture.
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Transitioning to Microplastic-Free Seed Coatings: Challenges and Solutions
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This review addresses the challenge of transitioning agricultural seed coatings away from manufactured microplastics in response to emerging regulations. Researchers examined current seed coating formulations that rely on synthetic polymer binders and identified promising alternatives including biopolymers, natural waxes, and mineral-based coatings. The study highlights that any replacement must maintain seed performance characteristics such as flowability and protection while meeting new environmental standards.
Sustainable carboxymethyl starch–bentonite hydrogel seed coatings for improved germination under water-limited broadcast seeding
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Scientists created a plant-based, biodegradable coating (made from starch and clay) that helps seeds soak up water and sprout better when planted in dry soil, offering a microplastic-free alternative to the synthetic gels currently used in farming. This matters because reducing reliance on plastic-based agricultural products means less microplastic pollution entering our soil, water, and eventually our food supply, while also helping crops grow more reliably as water becomes scarcer with climate change.
Effect of microplastics on seed storage proteins of plants
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This review examines how microplastic contamination affects plant seed storage proteins — key nutritional components and drivers of reproductive success — with implications for food security as MP-plant interactions increasingly challenge the foundation of agricultural food systems.
Micro- and Nanoplastics: Impact on Crop Plants and Agricultural Practices
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Researchers reviewed the growing contamination of agricultural soil and water by micro- and nanoplastics, finding that plastic debris disrupts soil structure, inhibits seed germination, reduces crop yields, and introduces toxic additives into the food production chain, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating plastic waste generation and agricultural exposure.
Biopolymer-based nanocarriers for sustained release of agrochemicals: A review on materials and social science perspectives for a sustainable future of agri- and horticulture
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This review examines how biopolymer-based nanocarriers can deliver fertilizers and pesticides more efficiently in agriculture, reducing the need for excessive chemical applications. Unlike conventional plastic-based delivery systems, these biodegradable carriers do not generate persistent microplastic pollution in farmland. The study also considers the social and economic factors that influence whether these environmentally friendly alternatives can successfully compete with conventional approaches.
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