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Silicon (Si) and Zn are beneficial for improving plant growth and human health. Fortifying rice (Oryza sativa L.) with Si and Zn can correct deficiencies of these elements in humans who consume rice. The present study evaluated the effects of different Si and Zn application forms as nanoparticles (NPs) foliar application and soil application (traditional fertilizers) on agronomic performance, grain yield (GY), Si and Zn accumulation, and protein content in rice tissue. The experiment was performed as a randomized complete block design with a factorial set of treatments that included three Si treatments (0, soil‐Si, nano‐Si) and three Zn treatments (0, soil‐Zn, nano‐Zn) with three replicates in two experimental farms (Mazandaran, Iran). The results indicated that Si and Zn applications by both NPs (300 g ha−1) and soil application (9 kg Zn ha−1 and 392 kg Si ha−1) ameliorated the yield components, yield, and nutrient accumulation in rice plant tissue. Application of nano‐Zn, nano‐Si, soil‐Zn, and soil‐Si significantly increased GY by 12.6, 9.5, 9.2, and 6.9%, respectively, above the control. Application of Si and Zn through NPs had greater effects than soil form for some experimental parameters, such as fortification of rice grains. Overall, our results suggest that Si and Zn applications as NPs could increase GY, reduce fertilizer costs and environmental pollution, and enrich rice grains with Si and Zn through improving agronomic and physiological traits, leading to higher GY and nutrients accumulation in grain. Core Ideas Application of Si and Zn increased the agronomic parameters and grain yield. There was no significant interaction among Si and Zn on grain yield. The nano‐Zn foliar spray had better effects than soil‐Zn application for grain Zn accumulation.

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Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is a short-season summer growing grain legume grown as dry land crop in the center and northeast of Asia. Among the pulse crops, mungbean has a special importance of intensive crop production due to its short growth period. Salicylic acid (SA) is recognized as an endogenous regulator of plant metabolism, mainly involved in biotic and abiotic stress. Salicylic acid (SA) or ortho-hydroxy benzoic acid and other salicylates are known to affect various physiological and biochemical activities of plants and may play a key role in regulating their growth and productivity. Gibberellic Acid (GA3) is the most important growth regulator, which breaks seed dormancy, promotes germination, intermodal length, hypocotyls growth and cell division in cambial zone and increases the size of leaves. The experiment was conducted at the goharkuh khash (In Iran) which is situated between 23° North latitude and 60° East longitude and at an altitude of 1329 m above mean Sea Level. The field experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with factorial design with three replications. Analysis of variance showed that the effect of Salicylic acid and gibberellic acid on all characteristics was significant.

In order to investigate the effects of plant density and the role silicon plays in determining the agronomic features of rice transplanted as single plants and planted in hills, an experiment in the split factorial design in the format of randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted in Sari in 2007. The main factor consisted of two levels of silica (applying and not applying it), and the subordinate factor included two modes of planting rice (in hills and as individual plants) and three plant densities (40, 80, and 120 plants/m²). Results obtained showed that applying silica improved some agronomic features. For example, the total number of tillers per plant increased by 11.6%, the number of effective tillers per plant by 14.2%, and the seed yield by 18.2%; and, therefore, the harvest index, compared to the control (in which silica was not applied), increased by 4.4%; but the percentage of filled spikelets decreased by 13.9% (which was a significant reduction). Increasing plant density from 40 to 120 plants per m² caused deterioration in some agronomic features. For example, plant height, the total number of tillers, the number of effective tillers per plant, and the total number of spikelets per panicle decreased by 5.04, 51.94, 55.1, and 20.44%, respectively. The mode of planting had a significant effect only on the total number of effective tillers per plant, and on the total number of spikelets per panicle, at the one percent probability level; and it also significantly influenced the percentage of filled spikelets at the five percent probability level. Under the interactive effects of the three variables, the maximum seed yield was obtained in the treatment of applying silica and planting density of 80 plants per m² in transplanting rice as single plants and in hill planting (424.1 and 414.6 g/m^-2, respectively).

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This experiment was carried out as split factorial in randomized complete blocks design with three replications in Sari, Iran during 2013 and 2014. Rice cultivars were chosen as the main factor including Tarom Mahalli and Tarom Hashemi. Nitrogen rates (34 and 69 kg N ha −1 and nitroxin) with nano-particle (nano-potassium, nano-silicon and control) selected as the subfactor. The results indicated that the amount of total tiller per hill and fertile tiller per hill for Tarom Hashemi was more than Tarom Mahalli in both years. The highest paddy yield in both years was observed for Tarom Hashemi, the main reason behind it is increasing panicle length and fertile tiller number for this cultivar. For Tarom Hashemi, the highest paddy yield (5000 kg·ha −1 ) was produced with 34 kg N ha −1 and nano potassium application. For Tarom Mahalli, the highest paddy yield 4657 kg·ha −1 was obtained with nitroxin and nano potassium consumption. The highest harvest index was achieved with nitroxin and nano-silicon consumption. Therefore, nano particle consumption in both cultivars resulted in improved yield.