Nano-Priming against Abiotic Stress: A Way Forward towards Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Agriculture is directly linked to human life, providing food for survival and health. It is threatened by a number of challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and abiotic stresses, including heavy metals (HMs), salinity, drought, etc. Various strategies have been employed to palliate the phytotoxic effects of these stressors from the soil–plant system. Nanotechnological approaches have emerged as a promising tool for increasing crop productivity and promoting sustainable agriculture. Interestingly, the seed nano-priming approach has shown potential against all of the above-mentioned abiotic stress factors and has improved crop productivity. The application of nanoparticles (NPs) via seed priming is an innovative and cost-effective approach that improves seed germination and subsequent plant growth by activating plant physiological processes and providing tolerance against various stresses. The seed priming with NPs induces electron exchange and increases surface reaction capabilities related to plant cell and tissue components. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advances and research findings on seed nano-priming and the possible mechanism of plant stress-tolerance augmentation against various stresses. Furthermore, we also shed light on gaps in studies conducted in previous years, which will open new avenues for future research.

Improving Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) through Nitrogen Application under Semiarid Conditions

“…No doubt, impact of N in bread wheat has been studied to a large extent in Pakistan, but the varietal revolution necessitates to investigate its specific impacts on new varieties of wheat. Ujala-2016, a new wheat variety which a high yield potential than other varieties, is reported to be highly tolerant against abiotic stresses [29]. Keeping in view the significance of N in wheat, the current investigations were undertaken to explore its impact on wheat variety Ujala-2016.…”

Application of Zinc, Iron and Boron Enhances Productivity and Grain Biofortification of Mungbean

“…However, soil application enhanced all these parameters more than foliar application. This increase might be attributed to the role of Zn in the synthesis of protein, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acid, nitrogen metabolism, cell division, photosynthesis [24], and all other metabolic processes of cells [56,57]. Better growth and yield of mungbean might also be attributed to the participation of Zn in several physiological processes during crop development [58], resistance to abiotic stress [59], nitrogen use efficiency [60], photosynthesis and protein synthesis [61].…”

Combined application of plant growth-promoting bacteria and iron oxide nanoparticles ameliorates the toxic effects of arsenic in Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.)

“…Heavy metal contamination of agricultural lands has become an emerging environmental issue worldwide ( Saleem et al., 2020b ; Saleem et al., 2020f ; Afzal et al., 2021 ; Amna Ali et al., 2021 ; Farooq et al., 2022 ). This problem is becoming a serious threat to humans and animals because of the entry of heavy metals in the food web ( Salam et al., 2022 ; Tariq et al., 2022 ; Ullah et al., 2022 ). High concentrations of heavy metals significantly reduce plant productivity and crop yields ( Javed et al., 2020 ; Rana et al., 2020 ; Saleem et al., 2020c ; Alsafran et al., 2022a ).…”

“…Antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), come into play to scavenge ROS. For example, SOD facilitates the conversion of superoxide (O −1 ) radicals to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), whereas POD decomposes H 2 O 2 into water (H 2 O) and molecular O 2 ( Afzal et al., 2020 ; Saleem et al., 2020c ; Saleem et al., 2020e ; Salam et al., 2022 ; Ali et al., 2022b ). The sites contaminated with As need immediate attention because of the associated severe health risks.…”