Role of iron oxide nanoparticles in maize (Zea mays L.) to enhance salinity stress tolerance

Authors

  • Asif MUKHTIAR University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Botany, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Muhammad A. ZIA University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Biochemistry, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Hussam F.N. ALAWADI Al-Qadisiyah University, College of Agriculture (IQ)
  • Maria NAQVE University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Botany, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Mahmoud F. SELEIMAN King Saud University, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, Department of Plant Production, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451 (SA)
  • Athar MAHMOOD University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Agronomy, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Muhammad I. MAJEED University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Chemistry, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Muhammad B. HAFEEZ University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Department of Agronomy, Faisalabad 38040 (PK)
  • Bilal A. KHAN University of Sargodha, College of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, Sargodha, 40100; Texas A&M University, College Station, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, TX (PK)
  • Naeem KHAN University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy Department, Gainesville FL, 32611 (PK)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha52313695

Keywords:

antioxidants, FeO-NPs, ion homeostasis, maize, NaCl

Abstract

Soils have been getting worse over time, which has led to lower crop yields and nutritional value. This is because of too many conventional fertilizers, anthropogenic activities, and climate change. Soil salinity is also a big problem and challenge for agricultural scientists. To address this issue, nanoparticles are gaining a reputation in agriculture that can enhance salinity tolerance in crops, especially at early growth stages.  A pot experiment was conducted at Post Agricultural Research Station (PARS), Faisalabad to assess the impact of iron oxide nanoparticles (0, 15, and 30 ppm) and four levels of salinity (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM) on morphological, physiological and yield traits of maize (Zea mays L.) in salinity stress. Salinity stress significantly negatively affected the growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments, ion content (Na+, K+, and Ca2+) of maize plants. Salinity has also increased the levels of MDA, H2O2, and Na+ ions. The application of iron oxide nanoparticles through foliar spray had a notable impact in enhancing the growth and yield of the tested maize variety. It was achieved by promoting the activities of antioxidant enzymes, increasing photosynthetic pigments, and elevating K+ and Ca2+ ion levels under both normal and salinity-stressed conditions. Additionally, iron oxide nanoparticles mitigated the adverse effects of salinity stress by effectively reducing Na+ ion concentration, MDA levels, and H2O2 concentration. Among the different concentrations tested, 30 ppm of iron oxide nanoparticles proved best in alleviating the negative impacts of salinity stress in maize. Thus, field use of 30 ppm iron oxide nanoparticles as foliar spray could effectively mitigate salinity stress in maize.

References

Aazami MA, Rasouli F, Ebrahimzadeh A (2021). Oxidative damage, antioxidant mechanism and gene expression in tomato responding to salinity stress under in vitro conditions and application of iron and zinc oxide nanoparticles on callus induction and plant regeneration. BMC Plant Biology 21(1):597. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-033797

Ahmad A, Tola E, Alshahrani TS, Seleiman MF (2023). Enhancement of morphological and physiological performance of Zea mays L. under saline stress using ZnO nanoparticles and 24-Epibrassinolide seed priming. Agronomy 13(3):771. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030771

Ainsworth EA, Gillespie KM (2007). Estimation of total phenolic content and other oxidation substrates in plant tissues using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Nature Protocols 2(4):875-877. https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2007.102

Alenazi MM, El-Ebidy AM, El-shehaby OA, Seleiman MF, Aldhuwaib KJ, Abdel-Aziz HMM (2024). Chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles differentially alleviate salinity stress in Phaseolus vulgaris L. plants. Plants 13(3):398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030398

Alexieva V, Sergiev I, Mapelli S, Karanov E (2001). The effect of drought and ultraviolet radiation on growth and stress markers in pea and wheat. Plant, Cell and Environment 24(12):1337-1344. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.2001.00778.x

Alhammad BA, Ahmad A, Seleiman MF, Tola E (2023a). Seed priming with nanoparticles and 24-Epibrassinolide improved seed germination and enzymatic performance of Zea mays L. in salt-stressed soil. Plants 12(4):690. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040690

Alhammad BA, Saleem K, Asghar MA, Raza A, Ullah A, Farooq TH, Yong JWH, Xu F, Seleiman MF, Riaz A (2023b). Cobalt and titanium alleviate the methylglyoxal-induced oxidative stress in Pennisetum divisum seedlings under saline conditions. Metabolites 13(11):1162. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13111162

Ali AYA, Ibrahim MEH, Zhou G, Nimir NEA, Jiao X, Zhu G, . . . and Lu H (2019). Ameliorative effects of jasmonic acid and humic acid on antioxidant enzymes and salt tolerance of forage sorghum under salinity conditions. Agronomy Journal 111(6):3099-3108. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2019.05.0347

Ali HH, Shehzadi N, Zaheer MS, Seleiman MF, Aldhuwaib KJ, Din Khan Wu, Raza A (2023). Exploring the impact of salicylic acid and farmyard manure on soil rhizospheric properties and cadmium stress alleviation in maize (Zea mays L.). Plants 12(17):3115. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173115

Alkharabsheh HM, Seleiman MF, Hewedy OA, Battaglia ML, Jalal RS, Alhammad BA, Schillaci C, Ali N, Al-Doss A (2021). Field crop responses and management strategies to mitigate soil salinity in modern agriculture: A Review. Agronomy 11(11):2299. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112299

Anwar Z, Basharat Z, Bilal Hafeez M, Zahra N, Rafique Z, Maqsood M (2022). Biofortification of maize with zinc and iron not only enhances crop growth but also improves grain quality. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Biology https://doi.org/10.35495/ajab.2021.02.079

Arif Y, Singh P, Siddiqui H, Bajguz A, Hayat S (2020). Salinity induced physiological and biochemical changes in plants: An omic approach towards salt stress tolerance. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 156:64-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.08.042

Arnon DI (1949). Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiology 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.24.1.1

Asghar S, Bibi S, Mukhtiar A, Zia MA, Naqve M, Mahmood A, Javaid MM, Azeem M (2023). Mechanism and approaches to enhance salt stress tolerance in crop plants. In: Climate-Resilient Agriculture. Vol 2. Agro-Biotechnological Advancement for Crop Production. Springer, pp 407-426. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37428-9_18

Ashraf M, Munns R (2022). Evolution of approaches to increase the salt tolerance of crops. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 41(2): 12816. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2022.2065136

Avestan S, Ghasemnezhad M, Esfahani M, Byrt CS (2019). Application of nano-silicon dioxide improves salt stress tolerance in strawberry plants. Agronomy 9(5): 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9050246

Chance B, Maehly A (1955). Assay of catalases and peroxidases. Respiratory Enzymes 136. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83105

Debnath A, Deb K, Das NS, Chattopadhyay KK, Saha B (2016). Simple chemical route synthesis of Fe2O3 nanoparticles and its application for adsorptive removal of congo red from aqueous media: artificial neural network modeling. Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology 37(6):775-785. https://doi.org/10.1080/01932691.2015.1062772

Dimkpa C, Adzawla W, Pandey R, Atakora WK, Kouame AK, Jemo M, Bindraban PS (2023). Fertilizers for food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa: an overview of soil health implications. Frontiers in Soil Science 3:1123931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoil.2023.1123931

El Sabagh A, Hossain A, Barutçular C, Iqbal MA, Islam MS, Fahad S, … Erman M (2020). Consequences of salinity stress on the quality of crops and its mitigation strategies for sustainable crop production: an outlook of arid and semi-arid regions. Environment, Climate, Plant and Vegetation Growth 503-533. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49732-3_20

Ghanem A-MF, Mohamed E, Kasem AM, El-Ghamery AA (2021). Differential salt tolerance strategies in three halophytes from the same ecological habitat: Augmentation of antioxidant enzymes and compounds. Plants 10(6):1100. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061100

Giannopolitis CN, Ries SK (1977). Superoxide dismutases: I. Occurrence in higher plants. Plant Physiology 59(2):309-314. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.59.2.309

GOP (2023). Economic survey of Pakistan. Economic Advisory Wing, Finance Division, Govt. of Pakistan, pp 23. https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/pakistan-population

Gulcin İJAot (2020). Antioxidants and antioxidant methods: An updated overview. Archives of Toxicology 94(3):651-715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02689-3

Hasanuzzaman M, Raihan MRH, Masud AAC, Rahman K, Nowroz F, Rahman M, … Fujita M (2021). Regulation of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense in plants under salinity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(17):9326. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22179326

He M, He C-Q, Ding N-Z (2018). Abiotic stresses: general defenses of land plants and chances for engineering multistress tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science 9:1771. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01771

Ibrahimova U, Kumari P, Yadav S, Rastogi A, Antala M, Suleymanova Z, . . . and Abdelhamid M (2021). Progress in understanding salt stress response in plants using biotechnological tools. Journal of Biotechnology 329:180-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.02.007

Junedi MA, Mukhopadhyay R, Manjari KS (2023). Alleviating salinity stress in crop plants using new engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). Plant Stress 100184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stress.2023.100184

Lalarukh I, Zahra N, Shahzadi A, Hafeez MB, Shaheen S, Kausar A, Raza A (2023). Role of aminolevulinic acid in mediating salinity stress tolerance in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 23:5345-5359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01406-0

Lima-Melo Y, Alencar VT, Lobo AK, Sousa RH, Tikkanen M, Aro E-M, … Gollan PJ (2019). Photoinhibition of photosystem I provides oxidative protection during imbalanced photosynthetic electron transport in Arabidopsis thaliana. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:916. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00916

Mahmood A, Bibi S, Naqve M, Javaid MM, Zia MA, Jabbar A, … Al-Doss AA (2022). Physiological, biochemical, and yield responses of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) in α-Tocopherol-mediated alleviation of salinity stress. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:867172. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.867172

Mujeeb-Kazi A, Munns R, Rasheed A, Ogbonnaya FC, Ali N, Hollington P, … Rengasamy PJAia (2019). Breeding strategies for structuring salinity tolerance in wheat. Advances in Agronomy 155:121-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2019.01.005

Naikoo MI, Dar MI, Raghib F, Jaleel H, Ahmad B, Raina A, . . . and Naushin F (2019). Role and regulation of plants phenolics in abiotic stress tolerance: An overview. Plant Signaling Molecules 157-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816451-8.00009-5

Naqve M, Wang X, Shahbaz M, Mahmood A, Bibi S, Fiaz S (2021). Alpha tocopherol-induced modulations in the morphophysiological attributes of okra under saline conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:800251. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.800251

Okwu D, Josiah C (2006). Evaluation of the chemical composition of two Nigerian medicinal plants. African Journal of Biotechnology 5(4):357-361.

Rahman MA, Woo JH, Lee S-H, Park HS, Kabir AH, Raza A, … Lee K-W (2022). Regulation of Na+/H+ exchangers, Na+/K+ transporters, and lignin biosynthesis genes, along with lignin accumulation, sodium extrusion, and antioxidant defense, confers salt tolerance in alfalfa. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:1041764. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1041764

Rehman A, Jingdong L, Shahzad B, Chandio AA, Hussain I, Nabi G, Iqbal MS (2015). Economic perspectives of major field crops of Pakistan: An empirical study. Pacific Science Review b: Humanities and Social Sciences 1(3):145158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psrb.2016.09.002

Saddiq MS, Iqbal S, Hafeez MB, Ibrahim AM, Raza A, Fatima EM, . . . and Ciarmiello LF (2021). Effect of salinity stress on physiological changes in winter and spring wheat. Agronomy 11(6):1193. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061193

Saddiq, M. S., Afzal, I., Iqbal, S., Hafeez, M. B., and Raza, A. (2021a). Low leaf sodium content improves the grain yield and physiological performance of wheat genotypes in saline-sodic soil. Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical 51. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-40632021v5167663

Sadeghi Z, Valizadeh J, Shermeh OA, Akaberi M (2015). Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of Boerhavia elegans (choisy) grown in Baluchestan, Iran. Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine 5(1):1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4352527/

Seleiman MF, Ahmad A, Alhammad BA, Tola E (2023a). Exogenous application of zinc oxide nanoparticles improved antioxidants, photosynthetic, and yield traits in salt-stressed maize. Agronomy 13(10):2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102645

Seleiman MF, Ahmad A, Battaglia ML, Bilal HM, Alhammad BA, Khan N (2023b). Zinc oxide nanoparticles: A unique saline stress mitigator with the potential to increase future crop production. South African Journal of Botany 159:208-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.06.009

Seleiman MF, Ahmad A, Tola E, Alhammad BA, Almutairi KF, Madugundu R, Al-Gaadi KA (2023c). Exogenous application of 24-Epibrassinolide confers saline stress and improves photosynthetic capacity, antioxidant defense, mineral uptake, and yield in maize. Plants 12(20):3559. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203559

Seleiman MF, Almutairi KF, Alotaibi M, Shami A, Alhammad BA, Battaglia ML (2021). Nano-fertilization as an emerging fertilization technique: Why can modern agriculture benefit from its use? Plants 10(1):2. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010002

Seleiman MF, Aslam MT, Alhammad BA, Hassan MU, Maqbool R, Chattha MU, …Battaglia ML (2022). Salinity stress in wheat: effects, mechanisms and management strategies. Phyton 91(4):667. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.017365

Selvam K, Sudhakar C, Selvankumar T, Senthilkumar B, Selva Kumar R, Kannan N (2020). Biomimetic synthesis of copper nanoparticles using rhizome extract of Corallocarbus epigaeus and their bactericidal with photocatalytic activity. Applied Sciences 2:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-2811-3

Shahid, S., Kausar, A., Zahra, N., Hafeez, M. B., Raza, A., and Ashraf, M. Y. J. G. P. (2023). Methionine-induced regulation of secondary metabolites and antioxidants in maize (Zea mays l.) subjected to salinity stress. Gesunde Pflanzen 75:1143-1155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-022-00774-4

Singh D, Sahu A (2006). Spectrophotometric determination of caffeine and theophylline in pure alkaloids and its application in pharmaceutical formulations. Analytical Biochemistry 349(2):176-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2005.03.007

Singh P, Choudhary KK, Chaudhary N, Gupta S, Sahu M, Tejaswini B, Sarkar S (2022). Salt stress resilience in plants mediated through osmolyte accumulation and its crosstalk mechanism with phytohormones. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:1006617. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1006617

Suganya A, Saravanan A, Manivannan N (2020). Role of zinc nutrition for increasing zinc availability, uptake, yield, and quality of maize (Zea mays L.) grains: An overview. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 51(15):2001-2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2020.1820030

Taha RS, Seleiman MF, Alhammad BA, Alkahtani J, Alwahibi MS, Mahdi AHA (2021). Activated yeast extract enhances growth, anatomical structure, and productivity of Lupinus termis L. plants under actual salinity conditions. Agronomy 11(1):74. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010074

Tiwari S, Verma N, Singh S, Gupta S, Singh M, Singh P, . . . and Mechanism T (2021). Crop plants develop extracellular signaling products against salt stress. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 229-251. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119700517.ch12

Victoria O, Idorenyin U, Asana M, Shuoshuo L, Yang S (2023). Seed treatment with 24-epibrassinolide improves wheat germination under salinity stress. Asian Journal of Agriculture Biology. https://doi.org/10.35495/ajab.2022.076

Vijay FV, Manivannan V, Marimuthu S, Sritharan N (2022). Effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on yield attributes and yield of hybrid maize (Zea mays L.). Pharma Innovation 11:225-228. https://doi.org/10.22271/tpi.2022.v11.i8c.14670

Wolf B, Analysis P (1982). A comprehensive system of leaf analyses and its use for diagnosing crop nutrient status. Communications in Soil Science 13(12):1035-1059. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103628209367332

Yadav S, Modi P, Dave A, Vijapura A, Patel D, Patel M (2020). Effect of abiotic stress on crops. Sustainable Crop Production 3. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83521

Zahra N, Al Hinai MS, Hafeez MB, Rehman A, Wahid A, Siddique KH, Farooq M (2022). Regulation of photosynthesis under salt stress and associated tolerance mechanisms. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 178:55-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.03.003

Zahra N, Wahid A, Shaukat K, Hafeez MB, Batool A, Hasanuzzaman MJPP, (2021). Oxidative stress tolerance potential of milk thistle ecotypes after supplementation of different plant growth-promoting agents under salinity. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 166:53-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.05.042

Zhishen J, Mengcheng T, Jianming W (1999). The determination of flavonoid contents in mulberry and their scavenging effects on superoxide radicals. Food Chemistry 64(4): 555-559. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(98)00102-2

Zia-ur-Rehman M, Anayatullah S, Irfan E, Hussain SM, Rizwan M, Sohail MI, … Alharby HF (2022). Nanoparticles assisted regulation of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme system in plants under salt stress: A review. Chemosphere 137649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137649

Zulfiqar F, Ashraf M (2021). Nanoparticles potentially mediate salt stress tolerance in plants. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 160:257-268. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.01.028

Downloads

Published

2024-08-20

How to Cite

MUKHTIAR, A., ZIA, M. A., ALAWADI, H. F., NAQVE, M., SELEIMAN, M. F., MAHMOOD, A., MAJEED, M. I., HAFEEZ, M. B., KHAN, B. A., & KHAN, N. (2024). Role of iron oxide nanoparticles in maize (Zea mays L.) to enhance salinity stress tolerance. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 52(3), 13695. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha52313695

Issue

Section

Research Articles
CITATION
DOI: 10.15835/nbha52313695

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 > >>