Chitosan-Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Improve Salinity Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

High-salinity (HS) stress is a global element restricting agricultural productivity. Rice is a significant food crop, but soil salinity has a detrimental impact on its yield and product quality. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been found as a mitigation method against different abiotic stresses, even HS stress. In this study, chitosan-magnesium oxide NPs (CMgO NPs) were used as a new method for rice plants to alleviate salt stress (200 mM NaCl). The results showed that 100 mg/L CMgO NPs greatly ameliorated salt stress by enhancing the root length by 37.47%, dry biomass by 32.86%, plant height by 35.20%, and tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in hydroponically cultured rice seedlings. The application of 100 mg/L CMgO NPs greatly alleviated salt-generated oxidative stress with induced activities of antioxidative enzymes, catalase by 67.21%, peroxidase by 88.01%, and superoxide dismutase by 81.19%, and decreased contents of malondialdehyde by 47.36% and H₂O₂ by 39.07% in rice leaves. The investigation of ion content in rice leaves revealed that rice treated with 100 mg/L CMgO NPs maintained a noticeably higher K⁺ level by 91.41% and a lower Na⁺ level by 64.49% and consequently a higher ratio of K⁺/Na⁺ than the control under HS stress. Moreover, the CMgO NPs supplement greatly enhanced the contents of free amino acids under salt stress in rice leaves. Therefore, our findings propose that CMgO NPs supplementation could mitigate the salt stress in rice seedlings.