Advances of nano-photofertilizers in plant research

There is a saying that all living things grow by the sun, which signifies the vital role of solar energy in the accumulation of biochemical energy on the earth. As primary producers in the ecosystem, plants play fundamental roles in bioaccumulation. With the rapid advancement of nanotechnology, nanomaterials (NMs) have been playing increasingly essential roles in the field of plant research. NMs have been used as intelligent agents owing to their larger contact surface per unit mass than bulk products, and thus, they play significant roles at specific targeted points in plants. From the perspective of scientific research, NMs have shown many advantages on account of their flexible size, composition, physical properties and surface chemistry. Especially, light-responsive NMs (LRNMs) have been applied in plant research (named nano-photofertilizers), as they can enter specific parts of the plant and regulate or monitor plant body functions through photon conversion or generation of other functional species. Hitherto, the progress in LRNMs in the field of plant research is reviewed, mainly covering photon-mediated optical imaging, growth regulation, optical detection/sensing and antimicrobial/pesticides. Furthermore, the interactions between LRNMs and plants and the recent developments in LRNMs regarding plant research are discussed and summarized. Ultimately, the current challenges and prospects are highlighted to offer a timely, basic guidance for future research on nano-photofertilizers.