Copper nanoparticle application enhances plant growth and grain yield in maize under drought stress conditions

Abstract

Abiotic stresses, including drought, detrimentally affect the growth and productivity of many economically important crop plants, leading to significant yield losses, which can result in food shortages and threaten the sustainability of agriculture. Balancing between plant growth and stress responses is one of the most important characters for agricultural application to maximize plant production. In this study, we initially report that copper nanoparticle priming positively regulates drought stress responses in maize. The copper nanoparticle priming plants displayed enhanced drought tolerance indicated by their higher leaf water content and plant biomass under drought as compared with water-treated plants. Moreover, our data showed that the treatment of copper nanoparticle on plants increased anthocyanin, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents compared to water-treated plants under drought stress conditions. Additionally, histochemical analyses with nitro blue tetrazolium and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine revealed that reactive oxygen species accumulation of priming plants was decreased as a result of enhancement of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzyme activities under drought. Furthermore, our comparative yield analysis data indicated applying copper nanoparticle to plant increased total seed number and grain yield under drought stress conditions. Our data provided the evidences that copper nanoparticle regulates plant protective mechanisms associated with drought tolerance, which is a promising approach for the production of drought tolerant crop plants.

Effect of IFFCO Nanofertilizer on Growth, Grain Yield and Managing Turcicum Leaf Blight Disease in Maize

“…These results were supported by previous studies that copper plays an important role in plant growth, development and plant productivity as well as very effective in reducing the Turcicum leaf blight disease [12,13,14]. The higher plant biomass found in nanocopper applied plants indicated the reduction of drought effect on maize, which was associated with the higher water status of leaf in nano-Cuo group [15]. The higher leaf water status of nano-Cuo priming plants could result in maintaining of photosynthesis under drought [16,17], therefore might affect the plant recover and productivity.…”

Priming Strategies for Benefiting Plant Performance under Toxic Trace Metal Exposure

“…However, practical benefits in the form of enhanced survival during ionic stress can be obtained by priming plants with the alkali metals Na + and K + [ 29 , 30 ]. In turn, transition metal ions, particularly those regarded as essential elements, can be successfully applied as priming agents to provoke defense responses to other stresses, including drought [ 31 , 32 , 33 ], salinity [ 30 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], oxidative stress [ 37 , 38 ], as well as biotic stress [ 39 ] ( Supplementary Table S1 ). This approach is supported by the evidence of metal involvement in cross tolerance to unfavorable conditions, even at an ecosystem level [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Smart nanomaterial and nanocomposite with advanced agrochemical activities

“…Moreover, several successful examples of NPs were studied extensively for abiotic stress tolerance in recent years [ 116 – 118 ]. To cope with drought tolerance, several reports published in past decades on the application of NPs such as TiO 2 application in Linum usitatissimum via elevating pigmentation and reducing the activity of Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) [ 119 ], ZnO promotes effective seed germination in Glycine max [ 120 ], CuNPs improve pigmentation, biomass and grain yield in Z. mays [ 121 ]. In case of salinity stress, seed soaking, nutrient solutions, and seed priming methods are used for evaluation in G. max, S. lycopersicum, and Gossypium hirsutum respectively [ 122 – 124 ].…”