Silver nanoparticles protect tillering in drought-stressed wheat by improving leaf water relations and physiological...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Physiology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Wheat (Triticum aestivum) tillering is highly vulnerable to drought stress.
• Drought significantly reduces wheat yield and physiological functions.
• Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are explored for their protective effects on plants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of AgNPs in mitigating drought injury in wheat during the tillering stage.
• To assess the impact of AgNPs on leaf physiology and grain yield under varying drought conditions.

Main Methods:

• Wheat plants were treated with 60ppm AgNPs.
• Plants were subjected to different water levels: 100% field capacity (FC), 75% FC (mild drought), 50% FC (moderate drought), and 25% FC (severe drought).
• Leaf physiological data and yield attributes were recorded.

Main Results:

• Drought stress significantly reduced grain yield per spike (up to 45%) and photosynthesis (up to 76%).
• AgNP treatment notably restored leaf physiological functioning and grain yield formation.
• AgNP-treated plants showed increased grain yield per plant under moderate (22%) and severe (17%) drought compared to untreated plants.

Conclusions:

• Exogenous application of AgNPs can effectively protect wheat from drought-induced damage during early developmental stages.
• AgNPs represent a potential strategy to enhance wheat resilience and productivity in water-limited environments.