Sunrise over rice terraces in Bali, Indonesia
Aliaksandr Mazurkevich / Alamy
Zinc nanoparticles, a common sunscreen ingredient, could help protect rice from heat-related stress, an increasingly common problem under climate change.
Zinc is known to play an important role in plant metabolism. Minerals in the form of salts are often added to the soil as fertilizer or sprayed on the leaves, but this is not very efficient. Another approach is to deliver zinc as particles smaller than 100 nanometers, which can pass through microscopic pores in leaves and accumulate within the plant.
Researchers have been investigating such nanoparticle carriers as a way to provide more nutrients to plants and help maintain crop yields while reducing environmental damage from excessive fertilizer use. Ta. Now, Xiangang Hu and colleagues from Nankai University in China tested how these zinc oxide nanoparticles affect crop performance under heatwave conditions.
They grew flowering rice in a greenhouse under normal conditions and a simulated heatwave where temperatures exceeded 37 degrees Celsius for six consecutive days. Some plants were sprayed with nanoparticles, while others were not treated at all.
When harvested, the average grain yield of plants treated with zinc nanoparticles was 22.1% higher than non-sprayed plants, and the rice also contained higher levels of nutrients. Zinc was also beneficial under heat wave conditions. In fact, in these cases, the difference in yield between treated and untreated plants was even greater.
Based on detailed measurements of leaf nutrients, the researchers found that zinc boosts yields by fortifying enzymes involved in photosynthesis and antioxidants that protect plants from harmful molecules known as reactive oxygen species. It was concluded that it increased.
“Nanoscale micronutrients have great potential to increase climate resilience in crops through a number of unique mechanisms related to reactive oxygen species,” says Jason White of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
The researchers also found that rice treated with zinc nanoparticles retained a greater diversity of microorganisms living in the leaves, called the phyllosphere, which may contribute to improved growth. I discovered it.
Tests of zinc oxide nanoparticles on other crops such as pumpkin and alfalfa have also shown yield increases. But Hu says more research is needed to verify that this could benefit other crops.
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