Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen‐Rich Carbon Dots as Fertilizers for Mung Bean Sprouts

Abstract

Nitrogen‐doped carbon‐dots (N‐CDs) are synthesized using a solid‐state method and applied as nanofertilizers. Specifically, 70 g of mung bean seeds are cultivated in the aqueous solution of N‐CDs (0.2 mg mL−1) and yields 646 g of bean sprouts; this yield is significantly higher than that obtained in the pure water control (i.e., 550 g of bean sprouts from 70 g of beans). Furthermore, blue florescence is observed during the sprouting process, which gradually migrates from the beans to the root ends, implying the absorption and migration of the N‐CDs during this process. This work demonstrates that the N‐CDs not only serve as a new fertilizer for promoting plant growth but also enable in vivo monitoring of the plant growth progress of plants, opening up new possibilities of CDs‐related materials for future agricultural applications.

Dual Effect of Nanomaterials on Germination and Seedling Growth: Stimulation vs. Phytotoxicity

“…Additionally, CDs enhanced RuBisCO activity and chlorophyll content in the sprouts, suggesting improved photosynthesis [ 80 ]. In another study, V. radiata sprouts were cultivated in the presence of N-doped C-dots (N-CDs) and a significant enhancement in the sprouts’ yield was observed compared to the aqueous control [ 81 ], indicating the effectiveness of N-CDs as a nitrogen nanofertilizer. Qian et al [ 82 ] compared the in planta distribution and the effects of three types of CDs (bared CDs, CD-PEI (modified by polyethylenimine), and CD-PAA (modified by polyacrylic acid)] on growth of C. pepo seedlings.…”

A review on the effects of carbon dots in plant systems

“…Mung bean is the most commonly used plant model in studies due to its fast growing rate. 18,26,33,36,40 Among these studies, CDs played a role in the elongation of root and stem, biomass accumulation, and enhanced the carbohydrates content and photosynthesis (mentioned below) of the mung bean sprouts. For example, Kang et al exposed mung bean sprouts to CDs, in which CDs at 0.02 mg mL À1 were found to improve the root length, stem length, root vigor and single plant fresh weight by 29.9%, 18.3%, 36.1% and 14.9%, respectively (Fig.…”

Influence of Luminescent Nanomaterials on Plant Growth and Development

“…Since then, there have been numerous studies on the effects of CDs on the growth of various plants. Among them, the mung bean, with its rapid growth rate, was the most commonly used model plant in these studies, and the results of CDs in mung bean were usually shown to be promotive [47,53,54] . For example, Zhang et al [53] .…”