Effect of copper nanoparticles on growth parameters of maize seedlings
by Ali Raza; Saira Ahmad; Abdul Mateen; Adnan Arshad; Abdur Rehman; Helena A.L. Oliveira
International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT), Vol. 19, No. 12, 2022

Abstract: Nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted great attention due to their unique properties and efficient applications in various sectors. Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for plants, which acts either as the metal component of enzymes or as a functional structural or a regulatory co-factor of a large number of enzymes. To understand the possible benefits of applying nanotechnology to agriculture, an important first step is to analyse penetration and transport of NPs in plants. The main aim of this article is to explore the possible effects of CuO NPs on germination of maize seedlings and growth of plants. Results showed that the germination rate, root and shoot length increased during uptake of Cu in the roots and the length of the shoots increased at high concentrations of CuO NPs. There was no toxic effect observed to inhibit seedling growth. In the sample in which the plants received a mixture of 800 mg/L of CuO NPs, the chlorophyll content decreased with photosynthetic activity and the catalase activity also decreased. While, in the sample in which the plants received a mixture of 550 mg/L CuO NPs, enzymatic and photosynthetic activities increased significantly along with root and shoot development in maize. The acquired results delivered conclusive evidence to indicate that the NPs considered under this study could enter into the maize plant cells, simply be assimilated by maize plants and also improved its growth by regulating the various enzyme activities.

Online publication date: Sat, 25-Mar-2023

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