Evaluation of Selenium Nanoparticles in Inducing Disease Resistance against Spot Blotch Disease and Promoting Growth in Wheat under Biotic Stress

Abstract

In the present study, SeNPs were synthesized using Melia azedarach leaf extracts and investigated for growth promotion in wheat under the biotic stress of spot blotch disease. The phytosynthesized SeNPs were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The in vitro efficacy of different concentrations of phytosynthesized SeNPs (i.e., 100 μg/mL, 150 μg/mL, 200 μg/mL, 250 μg/mL, and 300 μg/mL) was evaluated using the well diffusion method, which reported that 300 μg/mL showed maximum fungus growth inhibition. For in vivo study, different concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40 mg/L) of SeNPs were applied exogenously to evaluate the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters under control conditions and determine when infection was induced. Among all treatments, 30 mg/L of SeNPs performed well and increased the plant height by 2.34% compared to the control and 30.7% more than fungus-inoculated wheat. Similarly, fresh plant weight and dry weight increased by 17.35% and 13.43% over the control and 20.34% and 52.48% over the fungus-treated wheat, respectively. In leaf surface area and root length, our findings were 50.11% and 10.37% higher than the control and 40% and 71% higher than diseased wheat, respectively. Plant physiological parameters i.e., chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content, were increased 14, 133, and 16.1 times over the control and 157, 253, and 42 times over the pathogen-inoculated wheat, respectively. Our findings regarding carotenoid content, relative water content, and the membrane stability index were 29-, 49-, and 81-fold higher than the control and 187-, 63-, and 48-fold higher than the negative control, respectively. In the case of plant biochemical parameters, proline, sugar, flavonoids, and phenolic contents were recorded at 6, 287, 11, and 34 times higher than the control and 32, 107, 33, and 4 times more than fungus-inoculated wheat, respectively. This study is considered the first biocompatible approach to evaluate the potential of green-synthesized SeNPs as growth-promoting substances in wheat under the spot blotch stress and effective management strategy to inhibit fungal growth.

Nano‐selenium foliar intervention‐induced resistance of cucumber to Botrytis cinerea by activating jasmonic acid biosynthesis and regulating phenolic acid and cucurbitacin

“…To prepare the samples, 1 g plant leaves was ground with 10 mL acetone and filtered three times. Absorbance was measured at wavelengths of 645.0, 652.0 and 663.0 nm 33 . The chlorophyll contents of the leaves were then calculated using the following formulae: …”

“…Absorbance was measured at wavelengths of 645.0, 652.0 and 663.0 nm. 33 The chlorophyll contents of the leaves were then calculated using the following formulae:…”

Nano-Food Farming: Toward Sustainable Applications of Proteins, Mushrooms, Nano-Nutrients, and Nanofibers

“…The suggested mechanism of nano-Se for plant disease resistance involves enhancing the capacity of antioxidants, inducing the pathway of jasmonic acid, reducing the accumulation of ROS and H 2 O 2 , and promoting the pathways for phytohormones signaling [171,202,210]. Many studies have confirmed the role of nano-Se in inducing the resistance of crops to phytopathogens such as Botrytis cinerea in cucumber [211], spot blotch disease in wheat [212], Podosphaera xanthii in melon [210], Fusarium-induced wilt disease in lettuce [209], and Alternaria leaf spot disease in the common bean [53]. Along with the mitigation of stress, other benefits that have been reported due to nano-Se in farming include nano-biofortification [204,205], improving the quality and shelf life of harvested crops [213], and mitigation of abiotic stresses, including salinity [214], heavy metals [215], and drought [216].…”

Aflatoxins in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea): Prevalence, Global Health Concern, and Management from an Innovative Nanotechnology Approach: A Mechanistic Repertoire and Future Direction

“…Melia azardica based selenium nanoparticles also showed marvelous antifungal potential against spot blotch disease of wheat. This biocompatible strategy controlled the disease incidence and showed that various levels of selenium nanoparticles enhance the plant growth by modifying its biochemical profile and control the fungal stress by disrupting the fungal cell . Bioinspired Chenopodium quinoa mediated cerium oxide nanoparticles showed strong antifungal potential against the fungal disease Ustilago tritici affecting wheat crop.…”