Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Drought-Induced Alterations in Sorghum Performance, Nutrient Acquisition, and Grain Fortification
| Author | Christian O. Dimkpa | |
| Author | Upendra Singh | |
| Author | Bindraban, Prem S. | |
| Author | Wade H. Elmer | |
| Author | Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey | |
| Author | Jason C. White | |
| Date of acession | 2023-09-01T11:29:52Z | |
| Date of availability | 2023-09-01T11:29:52Z | |
| Date of issue | 2019 | |
| Abstract | Drought is a major environmental event affecting crop productivity and nutritional quality, and potentially, human nutrition. This study evaluated drought effects on performance and nutrient acquisition and distribution in sorghum; and whether ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) might alleviate such effects. Soil was amended with ZnO-NPs at 1, 3, and 5 mg Zn/kg, and drought was imposed 4 weeks after seed germination by maintaining the soil at 40% of field moisture capacity. Flag leaf and grain head emergence were delayed 6-17 days by drought, but the delays were reduced to 4-5 days by ZnO-NPs. Drought significantly (p < 0.05) reduced (76%) grain yield; however, ZnO-NP amendment under drought improved grain (22-183%) yield. Drought inhibited grain nitrogen (N) translocation (57%) and total (root, shoot and grain) N acquisition (22%). However, ZnO-NPs (5 mg/kg) improved (84%) grain N translocation relative to the drought control and restored total N levels to the non-drought condition. Shoot uptake of phosphorus (P) was promoted (39%) by drought, while grain P translocation was inhibited (63%); however, ZnO NPs lowered total P acquisition under drought by 11-23%. Drought impeded shoot uptake (45%), grain translocation (71%) and total acquisition (41%) of potassium (K). ZnO-NP amendment (5 38 mg/kg) to drought-affected plants improved total K acquisition (16-30%) and grain K (123%), relative to the drought control. Drought lowered (32%) average grain Zn concentration; however, ZnO-NP amendments improved (94%) grain Zn under drought. This study represents the first evidence of mitigation of drought stress in full-term plants solely by exposure to ZnO-NPs in soil. The ability of ZnO-NPs to accelerate plant development, promote yield, fortify edible grains with critically essential nutrients such as Zn, and improve N acquisition under drought stress has strong implications for increasing cropping systems resilience, sustaining human/animal food/feed and nutrition security, and reducing nutrient losses and environmental pollution associated with N fertilizers. | |
| Citation | Dimkpa, C.O., U. Singh, P.S. Bindraban, W.H. Elmer, J.L. Gardea-Torresdey, and J.C. White. 2019. “Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Drought-Induced Alterations in Sorghum Performance, Nutrient Acquisition, and Grain Fortification,” Science of the Total Environment 688:926-934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.392 | |
| URL | https://hub.ifdc.org/handle/20.500.14297/2401 | |
| Language | en_US | |
| Subject | Food security | |
| Subject | Nutrient use efficiency | |
| Subject | Drought stress | |
| Title | Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Drought-Induced Alterations in Sorghum Performance, Nutrient Acquisition, and Grain Fortification | |
| Type | Article |