BackgroundCarbon nanotubes have been shown to improve the germination and growth of some plant species, extending the applicability of the emerging nano-biotechnology field to crop science.ResultsIn this work, exploitation of commercial multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in control and 100 mM NaCl-treated broccoli was performed. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that MWCNTs can enter the cells in adult plants with higher accumulation under salt stress. Positive effect of MWCNTs on growth in NaCl-treated plants was consequence of increased water uptake, promoted by more-favourable energetic forces driving this process, and enhanced net assimilation of CO2. MWCNTs induced changes in the lipid composition, rigidity and permeability of the root plasma membranes relative to salt-stressed plants. Also, enhanced aquaporin transduction occurred, which improved water uptake and transport, alleviating the negative effects of salt stress.ConclusionOur work provides new evidences about the effect of MWCNTs on plasma membrane properties of the plant cell. The positive response to MWCNTs in broccoli plants opens novel perspectives for their technological uses in new agricultural practices, especially when 1plants are exposed to saline environments.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12951-016-0199-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The possibility to use membrane‐lipid measurements to screen barley genotypes for salt resistance was studied. The results showed that wild barley (Hordeum maritimum) displayed a typical halophytic response as compared to cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Manel). Growth, tissue hydration, and photosynthetic activity were less affected by salinity in H. maritimum than in H. vulgare. The induced effects of long‐term NaCl treatment were reflected in root membrane lipids that remained relatively unchanged in wild barley, whilst they were significantly diminished with increasing salinity in H. vulgare. The levels of membrane‐lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage were changed only at high salt concentrations in H. maritimum whereas those of H. vulgare were considerably increased by lower salinity levels as a result of oxidative damage. These findings indicate that maintained membrane integrity (in H. Maritimum) may be considered a possible trait for salt resistance. However, membrane fluidity in H. vulgare was more increased than in H. maritimum. Thus, the unsaturated–to–saturated fatty acid ratio (UFAs : SFAs) and the double‐bond index (DBI), significantly increased in response to salt stress in cultivated barley while it did not change in H. maritimum. The changes in lipid unsaturation were predominantly due to increases in linolenic (C18:3), linoleic (C18:2), and oleic (C18:1) acids and decreases in stearic acid (C18:0). These results suggest that, in spite of being important for maintenance of membrane fluidity, the ability to increase unsaturation is not a determinant factor for salt resistance in barley species.