Effects of Foliar Application of ZnO Nanoparticles on Lentil Production, Stress Level and Nutritional Seed Quality under Field Conditions

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 310
• Main Authors: Kolenčík, Marek, Ernst, Dávid, Komár, Matej, Urík, Martin, Šebesta, Martin, Ďurišová, Ľuba, Bujdoš, Marek, Černý, Ivan, Chlpík, Juraj, Juriga, Martin, Illa, Ramakanth, Qian, Yu, Feng, Huan, Kratošová, Gabriela, Barabaszová, Karla Čech, Ducsay, Ladislav, Aydın, Elena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18-01-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Agriculture; Beans; Crop production; Dispersion; essential and beneficial nutrients; Experiments; Fertilizers; foliar application; Foliar applications; Laboratories; Legumes; lentil seeds; Loam soils; Metabolism; nano-fertilizers; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Nutrient content; Nutrient deficiency; Nutritive value; physiological indexes; Physiology; Seeds; Statistical analysis; Stomata; Stomatal conductance; Sustainable agriculture; Water stress; Zinc; Zinc oxide; zinc oxide nanoparticles; United Kingdom > UK; physiological indexes; essential and beneficial nutrients; nano-fertilizers; lentil seeds; zinc oxide nanoparticles; foliar application
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano12030310

Nanotechnology offers new opportunities for the development of novel materials and strategies that improve technology and industry. This applies especially to agriculture, and our previous field studies have indicated that zinc oxide nanoparticles provide promising nano-fertilizer dispersion in sustainable agriculture. However, little is known about the precise ZnO-NP effects on legumes. Herein, 1 mg·L
ZnO-NP spray was dispersed on lentil plants to establish the direct NP effects on lentil production, seed nutritional quality, and stress response under field conditions. Although ZnO-NP exposure positively affected yield, thousand-seed weight and the number of pods per plant, there was no statistically significant difference in nutrient and anti-nutrient content in treated and untreated plant seeds. In contrast, the lentil water stress level was affected, and the stress response resulted in statistically significant changes in stomatal conductance, crop water stress index, and plant temperature. Foliar application of low ZnO-NP concentrations therefore proved promising in increasing crop production under field conditions, and this confirms ZnO-NP use as a viable strategy for sustainable agriculture.