Modulations of wheat growth by selenium nanoparticles under salinity stress

Abstract

Salinity stress is a prominent environmental factor that presents obstacles to the growth and development of plants. When the soil contains high salt concentrations, the roots face difficulties in absorbing water, resulting in water deficits within the plant tissues. Consequently, plants may experience inhibited growth, decreased development, and a decline in biomass accumulation. The use of nanoparticles has become a popular amendment in recent times for the alleviation of salinity stress. The study investigated the biological approach for the preparation of Se nanoparticles (NP) and their effect on the growth of wheat plants under saline conditions. The leaf extract of lemon (Citrus limon L.) was used for the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs). The synthesized NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and were applied foliar in the range of 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1% on wheat plants. Results showed that 0.1% SeNP alone exhibited a significantly higher yield per plant, biomass per plant, 1000 grains weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll over the SS (salt stress) control. A significant decline in MDA and H₂O₂ also validated the effectiveness of 0.1% SeNP over the SS control.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Biological synthesis; Growth; Selenium nanoparticles; Wheat plants.

Fig. 1

XRD pattern of SeNPs

Fig. 2

FTIR spectrum of SeNPs

Fig. 3

Effect of variable application rates of Se nanoparticles on plant height (A), biomass/plant (B), 1000 grains weight (C) and yield/plant (D). Bars are means of 3 replicates. Different values on bars are probability values showing significant alteration at ≤ 0.05. SS = Salinity stress; NoSS = No salinity stress; SeNP = Selenium nanoparticles

Fig. 4

Effect of variable application rates of Se nanoparticles on chlorophyll a (A), chlorophyll b (B) and total chlorophyll (C). Bars are means of 3 replicates. Different values on bars are probability values showing significant alteration at ≤ 0.05. SS = Salinity stress; NoSS = No salinity stress; SeNP = Selenium nanoparticles

Fig. 5

Effect of variable application rates of Se nanoparticles on catalase (A), superoxide dismutase (B) and peroxidase (C). Bars are means of 3 replicates. Different values on bars are probability values showing significant alteration at ≤ 0.05. SS = Salinity stress; NoSS = No salinity stress; SeNP = Selenium nanoparticles

Fig. 6

Effect of variable application rates of Se nanoparticles on total free amino acids (A), MDA (B), and H2O2 (C). Bars are means of 3 replicates. Different values on bars are probability values showing significant alteration at ≤ 0.05. SS = Salinity stress; NoSS = No salinity stress; SeNP = Selenium nanoparticles

Fig. 7

Cluster plot with convex hull for SeNP (A), salinity stress (B) and hierarchical cluster plot for studied attributes (C)