Characterizing stomatal attributes and photosynthetic induction in relation to biochemical changes in Coriandrum sativum L. by foliar-applied zinc oxide nanoparticles under drought conditions

Unveiling the Potential of Bioinoculants and Nanoparticles in Sustainable Agriculture for Enhanced Plant Growth and Food Security

The increasing public concern over the negative impacts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on food security and sustainability has led to exploring innovative methods that offer both environmental and agricultural benefits. One such innovative approach is using plant-growth-promoting bioinoculants that involve bacteria, fungi, and algae. These living microorganisms are applied to soil, seeds, or plant surfaces and can enhance plant development by increasing nutrient availability and defense against plant pathogens. However, the application of biofertilizers in the field faced many challenges and required conjunction with innovative delivering approaches. Nanotechnology has gained significant attention in recent years due to its numerous applications in various fields, such as medicine, drug development, catalysis, energy, and materials. Nanoparticles with small sizes and large surface areas (1-100 nm) have numerous potential functions. In sustainable agriculture, the development of nanochemicals has shown promise as agents for plant growth, fertilizers, and pesticides. The use of nanomaterials is being considered as a solution to control plant pests, including insects, fungi, and weeds. In the food industry, nanoparticles are used as antimicrobial agents in food packaging, with silver nanomaterials being particularly interesting. However, many nanoparticles (Ag, Fe, Cu, Si, Al, Zn, ZnO, TiO2, CeO2, Al2O3, and carbon nanotubes) have been reported to negatively affect plant growth. This review focuses on the effects of nanoparticles on beneficial plant bacteria and their ability to promote plant growth. Implementing novel sustainable strategies in agriculture, biofertilizers, and nanoparticles could be a promising solution to achieve sustainable food production while reducing the negative environmental impacts.

Plant mediated fabrication of silver nanoparticles, process optimization, and impact on tomato plant

Nanotechnology is one of the fastest-growing markets, but developing eco-friendly products, their maximum production, stability, and higher yield is a challenge. In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized using an easily available resource, leaves extract of the Neem (Azadirachta indica) plant, as a reducing and capping agent, determined their effect on germination and growth of tomato plants. The maximum production of silver nanoparticles was noted at 70 °C after 3 h of reaction time while treating the 10 ml leaf extract of Neem plant with 10 ml of 1 mM silver nitrate. The impact of the extract preparation method and solvent type on the plant mediated fabrication of silver nanoparticles was also investigated. The UV-spectrophotometric analysis confirmed the synthesis of silver nanoparticles and showed an absorption spectrum within Δ420-440 nm range. The size of the fabricated silver nanoparticles was 22-30 nm. The functional groups such as ethylene, amide, carbonyl, methoxy, alcohol, and phenol attached to stabilize the nanoparticles were observed using the FTIR technique. SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses were performed to study the physiochemical characteristics of synthesized nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles increased the germination rate of tomato seeds up to 70% while decreasing the mean germination time compared to the control. Silver nanoparticles applied at varying concentrations significantly increased the shoot length (25 to 80%), root length (10 to 60%), and fresh biomass (10 to 80%) biomass of the tomato plant. The production of total chlorophyll, carotenoid, flavonoids, soluble sugar, and protein was significantly increased in tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm silver nanoparticles compared to the control. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles are cost-effective and nontoxic and can be applied in agriculture, biomedical, and other fields.