The productivity of global crop production is under threat caused by various biotic and abiotic adverse conditions, such as plant diseases and pests, which are responsible for 20%–40% of global crop losses estimated at a value of USD 220 billion, and can be further exacerbated by climate change. Agricultural industries are calling for game-changer technologies to enable productive and sustainable farming. Carbon dots (C-dots) are carbon-based nanoparticles, smaller than 50 nm, exhibiting unique opto-electro-properties. They have been shown to have positive impact on managing diverse biotic and abiotic stresses faced by the crops. Owing to their versatile carbon chemistry, the surface functionalities of C-dots can be readily tuned to regulate plant physiological processes. This review is focussed on establishing the correlations between the physiochemical properties of C-dots and their impacts on plants growth and health. The summary of the literature demonstrates that C-dots hold great promise in improving plant tolerance to heat, drought, toxic chemicals, and invading pathogens. (Figure presented.).