Effect of Different modes and Concentrations of ZnO Nano particles on Floral properties of Sunflower variety SSH6163

Abstract

Nanotechnology has the potential to reinforce the missiontoward ever-green revolution by enhancing agricultural productivity with limited inputs. Zinc plays a vital role in growth hormone production, internode elongation and sexual reproduction by affecting production and shape of pollen and changes in the stigma. Keeping above facts under consideration an experiment was conducted to study the effect of Zincoxide nanoparticles(ZnONPs) on reproductive and biochemical parameters in sunflower. ZnONPs treated and untreated seeds of sunflower were grown in sand culture supplemented with zinc deficient Hoaglandsolution in order to provide representative indication of the impact of ZnONPs on plants under environmentally relevant conditions. Plants treated with ZnONPs exhibited early flowering, improved pollen viability and high starch content in pollens with respect tocontrol. Flowers bloomed first in seeds and plants treated with ZnONPs at a concentration of 250 ppm, followed by 1000 ppm oftreated seeds and untreated sand. The highest pollen viability was observed in treated seeds and treated plant at a concentrationof 500 ppm and the lowest in treated seeds with foliar application at 1000 ppm. Starch content was the highest at 250 ppm in treated seeds and untreated plants and the lowest in treated seeds and treated plants at 500 ppm concentration. This experiment revealed that ZnONPs has exhibited note worthy effect onreproductive and biochemical parameters of sunflower plant at different concentrations and under different modes of application.