A comparative evaluation of the effects of seed invigoration treatments with precursor zinc salt and nano-sized zinc oxide (ZnO) particles on vegetative growth, grain yield, and quality characteristics of Zea mays

Abstract

Introduction The zinc micronutrient fertilizers have a critical impact on the grain productivity and quality attributes of maize. However, the low use-efficiency issues of the applied Zn-fertilizers are required to be addressed through the development of novel formulations and alternative application techniques. Objectives This field study investigates the comparative impact of seed invigoration (including seed priming and coating) treatments with bulk zinc and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs). Methods The two seed treatments with two different zinc sources at three different concentrations of 0, 20, and 40 mg L−1 each, for a total of ten treatments, were evaluated for vegetative growth, photosynthetic pigments, grain yield, and quality traits in Zea mays. Results The total chlorophyll content was improved by ZnONPs seed priming at the V8 stage. However, there were plants that grew tall, bearing longer ears with bulk ZnSO4 and the untreated control. Yield-contributing factors like number of seeds per cob, and 1000-grain weight were marginally improved by ZnONPs treatment. Overall, only cob weight, starch, total soluble protein, and soil nutrient (N, P, K, and Zn) content were significantly enhanced by ZnONPs treatment. Furthermore, no negative effect was recorded on the soil microbiological and enzymatic activities seed treatment with both the zinc sources. Conclusion The seed treatment, i.e. coating and priming with ZnONPs, did not significantly alter the grain yield, but the seed starch and total soluble protein content were improved.

AMF Inoculation Alleviates Molybdenum Toxicity to Maize by Protecting Leaf Performance

“…Consistent with the results of previous studies that AM fungi help to absorb K and other nutrients [61], this study showed that AMF also promoted the uptake of K and the micronutrients Cu and Zn under Mo stress. Studies have shown that Zn is the specific activation ion of chloroplast carbonic anhydrase, which is a key point in controlling photosynthesis and provides the substrate for CO 2 fixation, thus promoting photosynthesis to a certain extent [62]. At the same time, Zn is a synthesis of chlorophyll precursor zinc porphyrin; thus, Zn is conducive to promoting chlorophyll synthesis, and chlorophyll plays a vital role in photosynthesis [63].…”

Soil type and integrated nitrogen nutrient-rice straw residue management techniques affect soil microbes, enzyme activities and yield of wheat crop

“…The FT-IR spectra were recorded from 4000 to 400 cm −1 wavenumbers on a FT-IR spectroscope (Cary 630, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, California, USA) equipped with a diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) assembly. The soil samples were analyzed by placing a known amount (5 mg) of the dried soil sample to obtain the peaks formed because of the interaction of the various soil components/compounds with the IR radiations in the % transmittance mode [ 24 ]. The % transmittance vs. wavenumbers (cm −1 ) data was obtained in csv format and the FTIR graphs were prepared after normalization procedure using Origin software (Origin version 9.0, Origin Lab Corp., Northampton, MA, USA) [ 25 ].…”

A Role of Biosynthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) for Enhancing Seed Quality: A Review

“…The treatment with ZnO NPs increased yieldcontributing variables such as the number of seeds per cob and the 1000-grain weight. Coating seeds with ZnO NPs (40 mg L −1 ) significantly increased cob weight, starch, total soluble protein, and soil nutrient content (N, P, K, and Zn) [108].…”