Morphological and biochemical responses of Abelmoschus esculantus (L.) Moench to zinc nanoparticles

The increasing application and use of nanoparticles are directly related to their release in the environment. There has arisen the necessity to study the interactions of nanoparticles with plants and other organisms. The present investigation is an attempt to evaluate the morphological and biochemical responses of Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench to zinc nanoparticles treatment. Seeds were treated with zinc nanoparticles at concentrations of 50 100, 200, 500 ppm. The morphological and biochemical responses recorded include germination percentage, root, shoot length, number of root hairs and number of leaves. Chlorophyll, protein, proline and carbohydrate contents in the leaves of 30-days-old treated plants were estimated. A greater amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) leached out from the seeds soaked in different concentrations of Zn nanoparticles compared to the control. Zinc nanoparticles executed a positive impact on the seed germination. The seed germination percentage increased in all the treatments compared to control. Increase in the chlorophyll and protein content was also observed in the treated plants. The proline content increased in treated plants indicating the stress. The carbohydrate content of leaves decreased drastically in response to the treatment. (paper)