Mitigating Cd and bacterial wilt stress in tomato plants through trico-synthesized silicon nanoparticles and Trichoderma metabolites

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 333; p. 122041
• Main Authors: Khan, Raja Asad Ali, Alam, Syed Sartaj, Najeeb, Saba, Ali, Asad, Ahmad, Ajaz, Shakoor, Awais, Tong, Liu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15-09-2023
• Subjects: Abiotic; Antioxidant; Antioxidants; Bacteria - metabolism; Biotic; Cadmium - metabolism; Cadmium - toxicity; Nanoparticles - metabolism; Nanoparticles - toxicity; Pathogen; Silicon - metabolism; Silicon - pharmacology; Soil; Solanum lycopersicum; Synthesis; Trichoderma - metabolism; Soil; Synthesis; Antioxidant; Pathogen; Abiotic; Biotic
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122041

There has been a growing apprehension in recent years about the harmful effects of environmental pollutants on agricultural output, encompassing both living organisms and non-living factors that cause stress. In this study, the soil application of bulk silicon (Si), silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) and Trichoderma metabolites (TM) were investigated alone or in combination for the management of an important abiotic stress i.e. Cd toxicity and biotic stress i.e. bacterial wilt (BW) in tomato plants. SiNPs were synthesized by Trichoderma and confirmed through XRD, FTIR, and Ranman spectrum analysis. Results showed that Si, SiNPs and TM were all effective treatments. The combine treatment of SiNPs and TM followed by SiNPs alone were superior over other treatments in mitigating Cd toxicity and reducing BW disease on tomato plants. The soil application of these treatments reduced the Cd toxicity by enhancing Cd-tolerance index, decreasing bioavailability of soil Cd, reducing Cd contents and translocation in plants, improving gaseous exchange, photosynthesis, and increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities and their transcriptions. These treatments significantly suppressed BW pathogen leading to the significant decrease in disease index and severity on plants. In vitro evaluation and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis revealed that SiNPs and TM significantly disrupted the cellular morphology of BW pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Findings of this study proposes the possible use of SiNPs and TM in mitigating the Cd and BW stress in tomato plants and possibly in other crops.
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•Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) were successfully synthesized using Trichoderma filtrates.•SiNPs combine with Trichoderma metabolites significantly reduced Cd stress in tomato.•SiNPs and Trichoderma metabolites (TM) significantly reduced soil bacterial pathogen.•SiNPs and TM bacterial wilt disease on tomato plants.