AUTHOR=Koleva Lyubka , Umar Aisha , Yasin Nasim Ahmad , Shah Anis Ali , Siddiqui Manzer H. , Alamri Saud , Riaz Luqman , Raza Ali , Javed Talha , Shabbir Zunera 

TITLE=Iron Oxide and Silicon Nanoparticles Modulate Mineral Nutrient Homeostasis and Metabolism in Cadmium-Stressed Phaseolus vulgaris

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.806781

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.806781

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Application of nanoparticles is proven as an efficient and promising technique for mitigating a wide range of stressors in plants. The present study elucidates the synergistic effect of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) in the attenuation of Cd toxicity in Phaeolus vulgaris.  Seeds of P. vulgaris were treated with IONPs (10 mg L-1) and SiNPs (20 mg L-1) before germinating in petri dishes. After that, seedlings of uniform size were transplanted into pots, and the experiment was performed for 40 days.  The results demonstrated that nanoparticles (NPs) enhanced growth, net photosynthetic rate, and gas exchange attributes in P. vulgaris plants grown in Cd contaminated soil. Synergistic application of IONPs and SiNPs raised not only K+ content, but also biosynthesis of polyamines (PAs), which alleviated Cd stress in P. vulgaris seedlings. Additionally, NPs decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage (EL) in P. vulgaris plants exposed to Cd stress. These findings suggest that stress alleviation was mainly attributed to enhanced accumulation of K+ content, improved antioxidant defense system and higher spermidine (Spd) and putrescine (Put) levels. In conclusion, it is suggested that various forms of NPs can be applied synergistically to minimize heavy metals stress, thus increasing crop production under stressed conditions.