Using Nanosensors on Crops and Nanoparticles in Fertilisers

Tiny sensors offer the possibility of monitoring pathogens on crops and livestock as well as measuring crop productivity. In addition, nanoparticles could increase the efficiency of fertilisers. However, the Swiss insurance company SwissRe warned in a report in 2004 that they could also increase the ability of potentially toxic substances, such as fertilisers, to penetrate deep layers of the soil and travel over greater distances.