Open AccessInfluence of ZrO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 nanoparticles on maize seed germination under different growth conditions
Author(s) -
Karunakaran Gopalu,
Suriyaprabha Rangaraj,
Rajendran Venkatachalam,
Kannan Narayanasamy
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1751-875X
DOI - 10.1049/iet-nbt.2015.0007
Subject(s) - nanoparticle , germination , elongation , phytotoxicity , materials science , microscale chemistry , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , agronomy , composite material , ultimate tensile strength , mathematics education , mathematics , engineering , biology
The focus of this investigation is to evaluate the phytotoxicity of selected metal oxide nanoparticles and microparticles as a function of maize seed germination and root elongation under different growth conditions (Petri plate, cotton and soil). The results of seed germination and root elongation experiments reveal that all the growth conditions show almost similar results. Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) and titania (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles significantly reduce the germination percentage, whereas silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles and microparticles enhance the same. The results of nanoparticles and microparticles of zirconia (ZrO 2 ) are found to be same as those of controls. Root elongation is enhanced by SiO 2 nanoparticles and microparticles treatment, whereas inhibition is observed with Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 nanoparticles and microparticles. The X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry data of the treated and control seed samples show that seeds uptake SiO 2 particles to a greater extent followed by TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 . In addition, the uptake of nanoparticles is found to be greater than that of microparticles. Thus, the tested metal oxides penetrated seeds at the nanoscale as compared with the microscale. This study clarifies phytotoxicity of nanoparticles treated in different growth substrates and highlights the impact of nanoparticles on environment and agricultural systems.