Improvement of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants with the Application of Nanoparticles

Abstract

Plants are under the threat of climatic changes and there is a reduction in productivity and deterioration in quality. The application of nanoparticles is one of the recent approaches to improve plant yield and quality traits. A number of nanoparticles, such as zinc nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), iron nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs), silicon nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), cerium nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), and carbon nanoparticles (C NPs), have been reported in different plant species to play a role to improve the plant physiology and metabolic pathways under environmental stresses. Crop plants readily absorb the nanoparticles through the cellular machinery of different tissues and organs to take part in metabolic and growth processes. Nanoparticles promote the activity of a range of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in plant species, which in turn improve the growth and development under stressful conditions. The present review focuses on the mode of action and signaling of nanoparticles to the plant systems and their positive impact on growth, development, and ROS scavenging potential. The appropriate elucidation on mechanisms of nanoparticles in plants leads to better growth and yields under stress conditions, which will ultimately lead to increased agricultural production.