Abstract
Plants require a variety of elements to grow. Of these, calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) play an important role in strengthening the cell wall. Although peaches (Prunus Persica) are highly preferred by consumers, they ripen quickly and become soft over a relatively short period of time after harvesting, making them difficult to transport and store. In addition, the ripening process of peaches proceeds very quickly; cell walls are weakened during maturation, and various pathogens can easily grow, causing rapid decay. Therefore, yield loss occurs during long-term storage or transport. To increase the storage period, a method to delay softening action is required. One potential means to improve firmness is to improve Ca and Mg content as these elements make up and strengthen cell walls. However, Ca and Mgare not readily absorbed by plants. In this study, the size of Ca and Mg particles were reduced to less than 900 nm via grinding and their absorption rates were evaluated in the leaves of peach trees. When plant nutrients with a small particle size by nanotechnology were sprayed on peach trees, the content of Ca and Mg was increased in the petioles, adaxial, abaxial, and leaf side. Therefore, a reduction in the particle size of Ca and Mg increases the absorption rate in peach leaves.
Highlights
Sixteen essential elements including carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N) are required for plant growth (Wang et al 2020)
Since the epidermal cells of the leaves are formed under the cuticle, if the substance used at the time of foliar application penetrates the cuticles, it can be completely absorbed
Calcium and magnesium contents increased after week 1, 2, 4, and 8 compared to controls
Summary
Sixteen essential elements including carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N) are required for plant growth (Wang et al 2020). Nitrogen (N), phosphoric acid (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) are classified as macroelements because crops require them in large amounts for growth (Tabak et al 2020). It is important for all plants to maintain these essential elements in sufficient amounts. Calcium enhances the activity of various enzymes in the plant, promotes the synthesis of proteins, regulates the selective absorption of other ions through the cell membrane, combines with pectin compounds to maintain the rigidity of cell walls, and reduces ethylene concentration, which increases the shelf-life of fruits (Gao et al 2019). When a plant becomes calcium deficient, leaf tips turn yellowish-white, shoot growth stops, browning gradually progresses, the plant dies, fruit decomposes from a lack of cell wall integrity, and the shelf-life is significantly reduced (Ajender and Chawla 2019)
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