Foliar Application of CeO2 Nanoparticles Alters Generative Components Fitness and Seed Productivity in Bean Crop (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Abstract

In the era of technology, nanotechnology has been introduced as a new window for agriculture. However, no attention has been paid to the effect of cerium dioxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) on the reproductive stage of plant development to evaluate their toxicity and safety. To address this important topic, bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) treated aerially with nCeO2 suspension at 250–2000 mg L−1 were cultivated until flowering and seed production in the greenhouse condition. Microscopy analysis was carried out on sectioned anthers and ovules at different developmental stages. The pollen’s mother cell development in nCeO2 treatments was normal at early stages, the same as control plants. However, the results indicated that pollen grains underwent serious structural damages, including chromosome separation abnormality at anaphase I, pollen wall defect, and pollen grain malformations in nCeO2-treated plants at the highest concentration, which resulted in pollen abortion and yield losses. On the ovule side, the progression of development only at the highest concentration was modified in the two-nucleated embryo sac stage, probably due to apoptosis in nuclei. Nevertheless, the findings confirmed the more pronounced vulnerability of male reproductive development under nCeO2 exposure than female development. The higher concentration decreased seed productivity, including seed set in either pods or whole plant (13% and 18% compared to control, respectively). The data suggested the potential application of nCeO2 at optimal dosages as a plant productivity ameliorative. However, a higher dosage is considered as an eco-environmental hazard. To our best knowledge, this is the first study analyzing reproductive plant response upon exposure to nCeO2.

Aerially Applied Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Affects Reproductive Components and Seed Quality in Fully Grown Bean Plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

“…Life cycle of flowering plants (angiosperms) translates into two generations of sporophyte and gametophyte, in which a haploid gametophyte (i.e., pollen grain and embryo sac) is formed from a diploid sporophyte ( Yadegari and Drews, 2004 ). Due to the increasing trend of environmental pollution, the intrusion of contaminants in the plant reproductive life cycle (i.e., generative phase and gametophyte) is inevitable ( Zinn et al, 2010 ; De Storme and Geelen, 2014 ; Paupière et al, 2014 ; Salehi et al, 2021a ). Overwhelming studies have reported that the sexual reproduction system and seed productivity are severely affected by environmental stresses ( Zinn et al, 2010 ; De Storme and Geelen, 2014 ; Paupière et al, 2014 ; Salehi et al, 2021a ).…”

“…Due to the increasing trend of environmental pollution, the intrusion of contaminants in the plant reproductive life cycle (i.e., generative phase and gametophyte) is inevitable ( Zinn et al, 2010 ; De Storme and Geelen, 2014 ; Paupière et al, 2014 ; Salehi et al, 2021a ). Overwhelming studies have reported that the sexual reproduction system and seed productivity are severely affected by environmental stresses ( Zinn et al, 2010 ; De Storme and Geelen, 2014 ; Paupière et al, 2014 ; Salehi et al, 2021a ). For example, severe reproductive effects including disproportionate time intervals of gametophyte development, sporophytic anomalies, and cellular damages of gametes have been reported under temperature stress ( Zinn et al, 2010 ).…”

Advances in “Omics” Approaches for Improving Toxic Metals/Metalloids Tolerance in Plants

“…Besides, other non-essential metals/metalloid elements, like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), are toxic to plant even at low amounts ( Asati et al, 2016 ; Mawia et al, 2020 ; Raza et al, 2021a ). The toxicity of non-essential toxic metals/metalloids in plants can lead to severe damages, including reduced or inhibited growth, low biomass and reduced production, chlorosis, water and nutrient imbalance, denaturation of essential enzymes and proteins, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), disturbed electron transport chain, lipid peroxidation, and at times ultimately plant death ( Rucińska-Sobkowiak, 2016 ; Venkatachalam et al, 2017 ; Jalmi et al, 2018 ; Tiwari and Lata, 2018 ; Gashi et al, 2020 ; Salehi et al, 2021 ). As a mechanism of toxicity, some non-essential toxic metals/metalloids tend to replace the essential ones in enzymes and pigments, thus disrupting their functioning ( Sarwar et al, 2017 ; Erickson et al, 2019 ).…”

Effect of Nano-TiO2 Composite on the Fertilization and Fruit-Setting of Litchi

“…Nanotechnology is a breakthrough in agriculture and can potentially improve fertilizer utilization and crop yield [ 1 , 2 ]. The most commonly used nanoparticles in production are nZnO [ 3 , 4 ], nTiO 2 [ 5 ], nAu [ 6 ], nAg [ 7 ], nCeO 2 [ 8 , 9 ], nCu [ 10 ], etc. Nanoclay-attapulgite (Attapulgite—ATP) has a nanorod structure and a strong adsorption capacity.…”