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Maryam H, Abbasi GH, Waseem M, Ahmed T, Rizwan M. Preparation and characterization of green silicon nanoparticles and their effects on growth and lead (Pb) accumulation in maize (Zea mays L.). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 346:123691. [PMID: 38431245 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The excessive accumulation of heavy metals, particularly lead (Pb) in agricultural soils, is a growing problem worldwide and needs urgent attention. This study aimed to prepare green silicon (Si) NPs using extract of Chenopodium quinoa leaves and evaluated their effects on Pb uptake and growth of maize (Zea mays L.). The results indicated that Pb exposure negatively affected the growth and chlorophyll contents of maize varieties, while SiNPs positively affected these attributes. Pb alone increased the electrolyte-leakage (EL), hydrogen-peroxide (H2O2) and selected antioxidant enzyme activities in leaves, whereas SiNPs decreased EL and H2O2 concentrations and further enhanced the enzyme activities as compared to their respective treatments without SiNPs. Pb-only treatments led to an increase in Pb concentrations and total Pb uptake in both shoots and roots. In contrast, SiNPs resulted in reduced Pb concentrations, with a concurrent decrease in total Pb uptake in shoots compared to the control treatment. The findings demonstrated that foliar application of SiNPs can mitigate the toxic effects of Pb in maize plants by triggering the antioxidant enzyme system and reducing the oxidative stress. Taken together, SiNPs have the potential to enhance maize production in Pb-contaminated soils. However, future research and application efforts should prioritize key aspects such as optimizing NPs synthesis, understanding positive mechanisms of green-synthesized NPs, and conducting multiple crop tests and real-world field trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haseeba Maryam
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Hassan Abbasi
- Institute of Agro-Industry & Environment, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Waseem
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan
| | - Temoor Ahmed
- Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Xianghu Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311231, China; MEU Research Unit, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Muhammad Rizwan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
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Huang Q, Ayyaz A, Farooq MA, Zhang K, Chen W, Hannan F, Sun Y, Shahzad K, Ali B, Zhou W. Silicon dioxide nanoparticles enhance plant growth, photosynthetic performance, and antioxidants defence machinery through suppressing chromium uptake in Brassica napus L. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 342:123013. [PMID: 38012966 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Chromium (Cr) is a highly toxic heavy metal that is extensively released into the soil and drastically reduces plant yield. Silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) were chosen to mitigate Cr toxicity due to their ability to interact with heavy metals and reduce their uptake. This manuscript explores the mechanisms of Cr-induced toxicity and the potential of Si NPs to mitigate Cr toxicity by regulating photosynthesis, oxidative stress, and antioxidant defence, along with the role of transcription factors and heavy metal transporter genes in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Rapeseed plants were grown hydroponically and subjected to hexavalent Cr stress (50 and 100 μM) in the form of K2Cr2O7 solution. Si NPs were foliar sprayed at concentrations of 50, 100 and 150 μM. The findings showed that 100 μM Si NPs under 100 μM Cr stress significantly increased the leaf Si content by 169% while reducing Cr uptake by 92% and 76% in roots and leaves, respectively. The presence of Si NPs inside the plant leaf cells was confirmed by using energy-dispersive spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma‒mass spectrometry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The study's findings showed that Cr had adverse effects on plant growth, photosynthetic gas exchange attributes, leaf mesophyll ultrastructure, PSII performance and the activity of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. However, Si NPs minimized Cr-induced toxicity by reducing total Cr accumulation and decreasing oxidative damage, as evidenced by reduced ROS production (such as H2O2 and MDA) and increased enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant activities in plants. Interestingly, Si NPs under Cr stress effectively increased the NPQ, ETR and QY of PSII, indicating a robust protective response of PSII against stress. Furthermore, the enhancement of Cr tolerance facilitated by Si NPs was linked to the upregulation of genes associated with antioxidant enzymes and transcription factors, alongside the concurrent reduction in metal transporter activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Huang
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Ahsan Ayyaz
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Muhammad Ahsan Farooq
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Kangni Zhang
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Weiqi Chen
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Fakhir Hannan
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yongqi Sun
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Khuram Shahzad
- Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, 40162, Pakistan
| | - Basharat Ali
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
| | - Weijun Zhou
- Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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Idoudi M, Slatni T, Laifa I, Rhimi N, Rabhi M, Hernández-Apaolaza L, Zorrig W, Abdelly C. Silicon (Si) mitigates the negative effects of iron deficiency in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by improving photosystem activities and nutritional status. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 206:108236. [PMID: 38064901 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.108236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen. Its beneficial impact on crop development and yield, particularly under stressful conditions such as iron (Fe) deficiency, has been well documented. Fe deficiency is a critical constraint that limits crop production globally. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of silicon (Na2SiO3) on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. 'Coco Rose' variety) under iron-deficient conditions. The common bean plants were subjected to six treatments, which included three sufficient iron treatments (50 μM Fe) each paired with three varying silicon concentrations (0, 0.25, and 0.5 mM Si), and three iron-deficient treatments (0.1 μM Fe) each associated with the same silicon concentrations (0, 0.25, and 0.5 mM Si). The results indicate that iron deficiency had a negative impact on almost all the measured parameters. However, under silicon treatments, especially with 0.5 mM Si, the depressive effects of iron deficiency were significantly mitigated. The addition of 0.5 mM Si alleviated leaf chlorosis and improved biomass production, nutritional status, photosynthetic pigment content, photosynthetic gas exchange, and photosystem (PSI and PSII) activities. Interestingly, a greater beneficial effect of silicon was observed on PSII compared to PSI. This was accompanied by a significant augmentation in leaf iron concentration by 42%. Therefore, by enhancing the photosystem activities and nutritional status, among other mechanisms, silicon is capable of mitigating the adverse effects of iron-deficient conditions, making it a successful and effective solution to cope with this nutritional stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariem Idoudi
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia; Faculty of Sciences of Tunis (FST), University of Tunis El Manar (UTM), 1060, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Tarek Slatni
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia; Faculty of Sciences of Tunis (FST), University of Tunis El Manar (UTM), 1060, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Israa Laifa
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Nassira Rhimi
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Mokded Rabhi
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia; Department of Plant Production and Protection, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lourdes Hernández-Apaolaza
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Food Science, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Walid Zorrig
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia.
| | - Chedly Abdelly
- Laboratory of Extremophile Plants (LPE), Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), P. O. Box 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
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Al-Huqail AA, Rizwan A, Zia-Ur-Rehman M, Sakit Al-Haithloul HA, Alghanem SMS, Usman M, Majid N, Hamoud YA, Rizwan M, Abeed AA. Effect of exogenous application of biogenic silicon sources on growth, yield, and ionic homeostasis of maize (Zea mays L.) crops cultivated in alkaline soil. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 341:140019. [PMID: 37657700 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Salinity has emerged as a major threat to food security and safety around the globe. The crop production on agricultural lands is squeezing due to aridity, climate change and low quality of irrigation water. The present study investigated the effect of biogenic silicon (Si) sources including wheat straw biochar (BC-ws), cotton stick biochar (BC-cs), rice husk feedstock (RH-fs), and sugarcane bagasse (SB), on the growth of two consecutive maize (Zea mays L.) crops in alkaline calcareous soil. The application of SB increased the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and internal CO2 concentration by 104, 100, 55, and 16% in maize 1 and 140, 136, 76, and 22% in maize 2 respectively. Maximum yield (g/pot) of cob, straw, and root were remained as 39.5, 110.7, and 23.6 while 39.4, 113.2, and 23.6 in maize 1 and 2 respectively with the application of SB. The concentration of phosphorus (P) in roots, shoots, and cobs was increased by 157, 173, and 78% for maize 1 while 96, 224, and 161% for maize 2 respectively over control by applying SB. The plant cationic ratios (Mg:Na, Ca:Na, K:Na) were maximum in the SB applied treatment in maize 1 and 2. The study concluded that the application of SB on the basis of soluble Si, as a biogenic source, remained the best in alleviating the salt stress and enhancing the growth of maize in rotation. The field trials will be more interesting to recommend the farmer scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwa Abdulkreem Al-Huqail
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O.Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Rizwan
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Punjab, Pakistan.
| | - Muhammad Zia-Ur-Rehman
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Punjab, Pakistan.
| | | | | | - Muhammad Usman
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Naveeda Majid
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), College of Science, Engineering and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC), Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
- College of Hydrology and Water Recourses, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210098, China
| | - Muhammad Rizwan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan.
| | - AmanyH A Abeed
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, 71516, Egypt
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Mahawar L, Ramasamy KP, Suhel M, Prasad SM, Živčák M, Brestic M, Rastogi A, Skalicky M. Silicon nanoparticles: Comprehensive review on biogenic synthesis and applications in agriculture. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023:116292. [PMID: 37276972 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent advancements in nanotechnology have opened new advances in agriculture. Among other nanoparticles, silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs), due to their unique physiological characteristics and structural properties, offer a significant advantage as nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanozeolite and targeted delivery systems in agriculture. Silicon nanoparticles are well known to improve plant growth under normal and stressful environments. Nanosilicon has been reported to enhance plant stress tolerance against various environmental stress and is considered a non-toxic and proficient alternative to control plant diseases. However, a few studies depicted the phytotoxic effects of SiNPs on specific plants. Therefore, there is a need for comprehensive research, mainly on the interaction mechanism between NPs and host plants to unravel the hidden facts about silicon nanoparticles in agriculture. The present review illustrates the potential role of silicon nanoparticles in improving plant resistance to combat different environmental (abiotic and biotic) stresses and the underlying mechanisms involved. Furthermore, our review focuses on providing the overview of various methods exploited in the biogenic synthesis of silicon nanoparticles. However, certain limitations exist in synthesizing the well-characterized SiNPs on a laboratory scale. To bridge this gap, in the last section of the review, we discussed the possible use of the machine learning approach in future as an effective, less labour-intensive and time-consuming method for silicon nanoparticle synthesis. The existing research gaps from our perspective and future research directions for utilizing SiNPs in sustainable agriculture development have also been highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovely Mahawar
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia.
| | | | - Mohammad Suhel
- Ranjan Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, India
| | - Sheo Mohan Prasad
- Ranjan Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, India
| | - Marek Živčák
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Marian Brestic
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia.
| | - Anshu Rastogi
- Laboratory of Bioclimatology, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Piątkowska 94, 60-649, Poznań, Poland
| | - Milan Skalicky
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
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