The development of botanical applications of nanomaterials has produced a new generation of technologies that can profoundly impact botanical research. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are an archetype nanomaterial and have received significant interest from diverse research communities, owing to their unique and optimizable optical properties. In this review, we describe the most recent progress on QD-based botanical research and discuss the uptake, translocation, and effects of QDs on plants and the potential applications of QDs in botany. A critical evaluation of the current limitations of QD technologies is discussed, along with the future prospects in QD-based botanical research.
Keywords: botany application; nanoparticles; nanotoxicology; phytonanotechnology; semiconductor quantum dots.