Modulation of Cellular Redox Status and Antioxidant Defense System after Synergistic Application of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Salicylic Acid in Rice (Oryza sativa) Plant under Arsenic Stress

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and/or salicylic acid (SA) under arsenic (As) stress on rice (Oryza sativa). ZnONPs are analyzed for various techniques viz., X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All of these tests established that ZnONPs are pure with no internal defects, and can be potentially used in plant applications. Hence, we further investigated for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the extent of ZnONPs and SA induced oxidative stress damages. More restricted plant growth, gas exchange indices, significant reduction in the SPAD index and maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and brutal decline in protein content were noticed in As-applied plants. In contrast, foliar fertigation of ZnONPs and/or SA to As-stressed rice plants lessens the oxidative stress, as exposed by subordinate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis. Improved enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), proline and total soluble protein contents under ZnONPs and SA treatment plays an excellent role in the regulation of various transcriptional pathways participated in oxidative stress tolerance. Higher content of nitrogen (N; 13%), phosphorus (P; 10%), potassium (K; 13%), zinc (Zn; 68%), manganese (Mn; 14%), and iron (Fe; 19) in ZnONPs and SA treated plants under As-stress, thus hampered growth and photosynthetic efficiency of rice plants. Our findings suggest that toxicity of As was conquering by the application of ZnONPs and SA in rice plants.

Ecotoxicological assessment of Zn, Cu and Ni based NPs contamination in Arenosols

“…Some scientists have identified adverse effects on plants (Minkina et al, 2020;Usman et al, 2020;Zoufan et al, 2020), animals (Rajput et al, 2017;Rajput et al, 2018), and soil characteristics . At the same time, the other researchers confirmed the absence of any adverse effects (Faizan et al, 2021;Samarajeewa et al, 2017) or even note a positive effect (Acharya et al, 2020;Faizan et al, 2020;Shekhawat et al, 2021). Nanoparticles entering the soil are distributed differently depending on soil fertility, structure, and composition.…”

Effect of Graft and Nano ZnO on Nutraceutical and Mineral Content in Bell Pepper

“…Previous studies have shown that ZnO NPs dissociate, releasing Zn ions into the medium [56], and according to Alloway [57], Zn decreases the uptake of Cu 2+ because both metals are taken up by the same transporter. Faizan et al [58] reported an increase in mineral content (N, K + , Zn 2+ , Mn 2+ , and Fe 2+ ) due to the application of ZnO NPs.…”

“…Conversely, there were no statistical differences in the interaction of grafting with ZnO NPs applications, as they showed lower contents of soluble solids compared to the control plants. Faizan et al [58] reported that the use of ZnO NPs is one of the new strategies to improve the growth and performance of plants under stress by trace metals.…”

Nanotechnology in the Restoration of Polluted Soil

“…The use of NPs with bioremediation approaches may result in a lot of benefits as these particles are small (1–100 nm) with a larger surface area and reactivity [ 10 ]. The broad range of studies indicated that the foliar use of NPs alleviates metal-pollutant toxicity and enhances plant growth, resulting in a high accumulation of elemental toxic content in plant tissues [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The degree of contamination, the bioavailability, and the accumulation of metals by the plants are decisive for the efficiency of nano-phytoremediation as a way of removing heavy metals (HMs) from contaminated sites [ 14 , 15 ].…”