Influence of Hydrogel and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on the Germination and Establishment of Chenopodium quinoa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of hydrogel and zinc oxide nanoparticles on quinoa germination and establishment. Various doses of a commercial potassium-based hydrogel (0, 5, 7, and 9 g), each dissolved in one liter of rainwater, were applied. Additionally, 1.5 g of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) and pre-crushed nitrogen fertilizer, at a rate of 1.6 kg/ha, were added to the solution to achieve a homogeneous mixture. Following the application of hydrogel in the 10-linear-meter rows corresponding to each treatment area in every block, 25 seeds per linear meter of the “Blanca de Juli” quinoa cultivar were sown with a 4 cm spacing between the seeds. Subsequently, a thin layer of soil, approximately 0.5 cm thick, was used to cover the seeds. Ten seedlings were randomly selected and labeled for subsequent evaluations. The experimental design employed in this research was a completely randomized block design. The collected data underwent an analysis of variance, and the means of all the treatments were compared using Tukey’s test with a 5% probability. Height and diameter evaluations of the plant neck were conducted every 45 days. The doses used in this study (5, 7, and 9 g of hydrogel per liter of water) significantly enhanced seed germination and increased the number of plants per linear meter (from 82.00 to 90.33) compared to the control dose without hydrogel (14.66), which resulted in an average of one plant per linear meter.