Abstract
Salinity is an abiotic stress that is responsible for more than 50% of crop losses worldwide. Current strategies to overcome salinity in agriculture are limited to the use of genetically modified crops and chemicals including fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides; however these are costly and can be hazardous to human health and the environment. Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method, and they might serve as novel biostimulants. This study investigated for the first time the efficiency of ZnO NPs, synthesized from Agathosma betulina to mitigate salt stress in Sorghum bicolor. Hexagonal wurtzite ZnO NPs of about 27.5 nm, were obtained. Sorghum seeds were primed with ZnO NPs (5 and 10 mg/L), prior to planting on potting soil and treatment with high salt (400 mM NaCl). Salt significantly impaired growth by decreasing shoot lengths and fresh weights, causing severe deformation on the anatomical (epidermis and vascular bundle tissue) structure. Element distribution was also affected by salt which increased the Na+/K+ ratio (2.9). Salt also increased oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX), proline, and soluble sugars. Priming with ZnO NPs stimulated the growth of salt-stressed sorghum plants, which was exhibited by improved shoot lengths, fresh weights, and a well-arranged anatomical structure, as well as a low Na+/K+ ratio (1.53 and 0.58) indicating an improved element distribution. FTIR spectra confirmed a reduction in the degradation of biomolecules correlated with reduced oxidative stress. This study strongly suggests the use of green-synthesized ZnO NPs from A. betulina as potential biostimulants to improve plant growth under abiotic stress.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Hexagonal wurtzite ZnO nanoparticles of about 27.5 nm were obtained.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Hexagonal wurtzite ZnO NPs of about 27.5 nm, were obtained.”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt reduced sorghum shoot length and fresh weight.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolor
Sorghum bicolort0 - Treatment
- Salte0
- Outcome
- shoot lengths and fresh weightse0
- Direction
- decreasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt significantly impaired growth by decreasing shoot lengths and fresh weights, causing severe deformation on the anatomical (epidermis and vascular bundle tissue) structure.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt severely deformed epidermis and vascular bundle tissue in sorghum.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Outcome
- severe deformation on the anatomical (epidermis and vascular bundle tissue) structuree0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt significantly impaired growth by decreasing shoot lengths and fresh weights, causing severe deformation on the anatomical (epidermis and vascular bundle tissue) structure.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt increased the sorghum Na+/K+ ratio to 2.9.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- salte0
- Outcome
- Na+/K+ ratioe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 2.9e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Element distribution was also affected by salt which increased the Na+/K+ ratio (2.9).”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt increased sorghum oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde).
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- Salte0
- Outcome
- oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt also increased oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX), proline, and soluble sugars.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt increased sorghum enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX).
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- Salte0
- Outcome
- enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt also increased oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX), proline, and soluble sugars.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt increased sorghum proline, and soluble sugars.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Treatment
- Salte0
- Outcome
- proline, and soluble sugarse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salt also increased oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX), proline, and soluble sugars.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
Claim · model-written summary
ZnO nanoparticle priming improved salt-stressed sorghum shoot lengths, fresh weights.
SorghumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Priming with ZnO NPs stimulated the growth of salt-stressed sorghum plants, which was exhibited by improved shoot lengths, fresh weights, and a well-arranged anatomical structure, as well as a low Na+/K+ ratio (1.53 and 0.58) indicating an improved element distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
ZnO nanoparticle priming improved salt-stressed sorghum well-arranged anatomical structure.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Priming with ZnO NPs stimulated the growth of salt-stressed sorghum plants, which was exhibited by improved shoot lengths, fresh weights, and a well-arranged anatomical structure, as well as a low Na+/K+ ratio (1.53 and 0.58) indicating an improved element distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
ZnO nanoparticle priming improved salt-stressed sorghum Na+/K+ ratio.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Priming with ZnO NPs stimulated the growth of salt-stressed sorghum plants, which was exhibited by improved shoot lengths, fresh weights, and a well-arranged anatomical structure, as well as a low Na+/K+ ratio (1.53 and 0.58) indicating an improved element distribution.”
Claim · model-written summary
FTIR spectra indicated reduced biomolecule degradation associated with reduced oxidative stress.
- Taxon
- Sorghum bicolorSorghum bicolort0
- Outcome
- degradation of biomoleculese0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Qualifier
- reduced oxidative stresse0
Not reportedOrgan / stageTreatmentComparatorSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“FTIR spectra confirmed a reduction in the degradation of biomolecules correlated with reduced oxidative stress.”
t0“Sorghum bicolor”
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8 of 9 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.