Sulfur nanoparticles mediated improvement of salt tolerance in wheat relates to decreasing oxidative stress and regulating metabolic activity

Abstract

Salinity is a critical issue impairing the growth and productivity of most crop species through the mediated ionic and osmotic imbalances. As a way forward, the current study was tailored to elucidate the capacity of sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) to amend salinity consequences on growth and physio-biochemical attributes of wheat. In a controlled experiment, wheat seeds were primed for 12 h with either 100 lM SNPs or deionized water then sown in plastic pots containing 5 kg clay-sand mixture (2:1 w/w). A week later, pots received NaCl (100 or 200 mM) as a sole treatment or in combination with SNPs and after three weeks the data of morph-bio-physiological traits were recorded. Salinity decreased growth rate, pigmentation, protein, amino acids, cysteine, ascorbate, flavonoids and phenolics content in wheat leaves. Plants pre-treated with 100 lM SNPs showed improved growth rate, pigmentation, nitrogen metabolism as well as non-enzymatic antioxidant contents as compared with salinized treatments. Neither salt nor SNP treatments affected photosynthetic performance rate (Fv/fm), however both treatments induced glutathione content. SNP treatment retrieved the undue excessive activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) besides the increased level of proline caused by salt stress. Likewise, 100 lM SNPs rebalanced the declined nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents and decreased sodium uptake caused by salinity. On the whole, priming with 100 lM SNPs improved photosynthetic pigments, nitrogen metabolism, antioxidant status and ionic relations contributing to the enhancement of growth attributes in wheat under salinity.

Nano‐enabled stress‐smart agriculture: Can nanotechnology deliver drought and salinity‐smart crops?

“…Application of TiO 2 ‐NPs, combined with quarter‐strength Hoagland solution, to Moldavian dragonhead ( Dracocephalum moldavica L.) at the 12‐leaf stage under saline conditions increased plant growth, antioxidant enzyme activities and essential oil contents, improving agronomic traits and decreasing H 2 O 2 levels (Gohari et al, 2020). Likewise, priming with 0.01 ppm S‐NPs improved antioxidant status, photosynthetic pigments, ionic relations and nitrogen metabolism in wheat under salinity stress (Saad‐Allah and Ragab 2020). Foliar spray of nano‐zinc oxide (100 ppm) and nano‐silicon (150 ppm) to mango improved plant growth, carbon assimilation, nutrient uptake, antioxidant enzyme activities and annual fruit yield, and significantly decreased flower malformation under salt stress (Elsheery et al, 2020).…”

Nanomaterials for enhancing photosynthesis: interaction with plant photosystems and scope of nanobionics in agriculture

“…[263][264][265] Biogenically synthesized spherical polycrystalline sulfur nanoparticles of 23 nm primed wheat plants were observed to show salt tolerance and enhanced photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activity and nitrogen metabolism contributing to the improvement in growth and development of plants. 163 Foliar application of ZnO nanoparticles were observed to mitigate salt stress in tomato 266 and Pisum sativum 267 with improved plant physiological parameters, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic attributes in plants. Further foliar application of SiO 2 nanoparticles of 5-15 nm on sugarcane was observed to show promising results under cold stress by enhancing photosynthesis and improving photoprotection.…”

Mineral nutrients in plants under changing environments: A road to future food and nutrition security

“…S is also an essential macronutrient in plants, where in S (40 mM), application ameliorated the effect of salinity by changing organic and inorganic osmolyte contents in maize plants (Riffat et al., 2020). Similarly, priming with 100 μM sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) improved photosynthetic pigments, N metabolism, antioxidant status, and ionic relations contributing to the enhancement of growth attributes in wheat under salinity (Saad‐Allah & Ragab, 2020). In addition, the optimized doses of various sources of S (K 2 SO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 ; 30 kg ha −1 and CuSO 4 and FeSO 4 ; 45 kg ha −1 ) significantly increased the gas exchange characteristics, nutrient uptake, and activity of antioxidant enzymes, which ultimately improved maize yield under water‐deficit conditions (Usmani et al., 2020).…”