Studies On The Effect Of Nanoscale Micronutrients Iron And Zinc Oxide Using Seaweed Turbinaria Ornata For Enhancing Seed Quality And Crop Productivity Of Rice Oryza Sativa And Maize Zea Mays

Abstract

In the present study, nanoscale micronutrient iron (and#945;-Fe2O3) and zinc newline(ZnO) have been prepared via co-precipitation using marine macro alga (seaweed) newlineTurbinaria ornata. The physico-chemical characterization techniques results newlineshowed the successful preparation of nanoscale micronutrient iron and zinc. The newlinenanoscale micronutrient iron and zinc were used as priming agents for enhancing newlineseed germination, seed quality parameters, uptake, translocation, physiological newlineeffects and crop yield level of rice and maize crops. Seeds primed with nanoscale newlinemicronutrient iron at 25 mg/L and zinc at 10 mg/L showed significantly higher newlineseed germination and seedling parameters in comparison with conventional newlinehydro-priming with bulk materials (ferric chloride and zinc acetate). ROS newlineproduction in germinating nano-primed seeds of rice and maize enhanced the seed newlinegermination better than the conventional hydro-priming with bulk materials. newlineUptake and distribution of nanoscale micronutrient iron and zinc in rice and maize newlineseedlings were studied using HR-SEM and ICP-MS analysis. Foliar application of newlinenanoscale micronutrient iron and zinc under field conditions significantly newlineincreased the chlorophyll content, yield attributes (1000 grain weight, seed length, newlineseed thickness and seed width) of rice and maize crops. In agricultural crops, newlineapplication of Fe2O3 and ZnO nanoparticles as nutrients will be a promising newlineapproach in promoting the agriculture with essential micronutrients in future. newlineKeywords: Zinc nanoparticles; Iron nanoparticles; Seed germination; Seed newlinepriming; newline