Nanotechnology Applications in Soil Science

This book provides a holistic vision of various nanomaterials and their production methods, functions, fate, and behavior in the soil ecosystem. Additionally, its role in improving soil quality and plant growth and their long-term application risks on the soil community. Further, it addresses the role of novel nanomaterials in manipulating soil ecology. This book also throws light on the advances and prospects of nanotechnology in Indian agriculture. Understanding nanoscience in the field of soil science is pivotal for the students, experts, scientists, and decision-makers interested in exploring the invisible mechanisms prevailing in the soil system with different nanoparticles and deciding the suitable soil remedy under the nanotechnology approaches.

Sezai Ercisli is Professor in the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, Türkiye. He was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Nebraska, USA, during 1997–1998. He teaches postgraduate courses in postharvest physiology of horticultural crops, characterization of plant genetic resources using morphological, biochemical, and molecular markers, modern fruit production, and advanced technologies in plant production, including artificial intelligence, smart agriculture, and deep learning. He is ranked among the world’s top 100,000 scientists in the Stanford University classification published in PLOS Biology (2025). He has chaired numerous international congresses and served on several scientific committees.

S. Rakesh is Associate Scientist in the Department of Resilient Farming Systems at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India. He previously worked at ICAR–NAARM (2019–2023) and as Senior Research Fellow in the ACIAR-funded Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification project (2015–2019). His doctoral research focused on soil carbon dynamics and conservation agriculture. His current research emphasizes soil health management, regenerative agriculture, climate adaptation technologies, and sustainable crop production. He has received the Best Thesis Award (2019), Young Scientist Award (2021), and Young Researcher Award (2023). He has published over 50 research articles (H-index: 18), edited two books, serves as reviewer for Elsevier, Springer, and Frontiers journals, and is Editorial Board Member of Discover Agriculture (Springer). He actively contributes to professional societies and farmer outreach programs.

Rahul Datta is Assistant Professor of Soil Science at Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic. His research focuses on sustainable agriculture, drought stress, heavy metal toxicity, greenhouse gas emissions, and crop productivity improvement. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles with more than 10,000 citations (H-index: 54) and is listed among the Top 2% of Scientists in the Stanford University global ranking. He has authored 10 books, contributed 20 book chapters, and holds six patents. He serves as Academic Editor for the Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry and holds editorial roles in BMC Plant Biology, Open Agriculture, and Phyton – International Journal of Experimental Botany. He is a member of the Soil Science Society of America.

Deepranjan Sarkar is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He previously served as Assistant Professor at Integral University, India, and Consultant at the International Rice Research Institute, India. He earned his M.Sc. in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry from Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya and Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University. His research interests include soil fertility, plant nutrition, plant–microbe interactions, regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, and climate change adaptation. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and received awards from BHU, IIT-Kharagpur, TWAS, and the Soil Science Society of America. He serves on editorial boards and reviews for leading international journals.

Sachidanand Singh is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Biotechnology, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, India. He completed postdoctoral research at The Ohio State University, USA. His research areas include plant biotechnology, metagenomics, systems and network biology, microRNA biology, next-generation sequencing, and statistical genetics, with emphasis on canonical and non-canonical miRNA pathways. He has over 14 years of academic experience, published more than 60 articles, and holds nine patents (four granted). He has completed funded research projects, supervised numerous undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students, and actively contributes to academic leadership, conferences, and research initiatives.