Nanomaterial-mediated sustainable hydrogen supply induces lateral root formation via nitrate reductase-dependent nitric oxide

Abstract

The supplementation of hydrogen gas (H2) has been found to favor the growth of plants, but long-term application of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) in agriculture is difficult due to low solubility and fast fugacity of hydrogen gas in water. Sustained release of hydrogen gas in plants is of significance but has not realized before. In this work, ammonia borane-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticle (AB@hMSN) is constructed to serve as a hydrogen-releasing nanomaterial for sustainable H2 supply in plants for a long time. AB@hMSN exhibiting high hydrogen loading capacity as well as sustained hydrogen releasing behavior in slightly acidic soil environments, sustainably supplys plentiful amounts of hydrogen gas in the root of tomato by penetrating into root cells. Tomato lateral root (LR) formation, one of major components of root system architecture, is remarkably induced by AB@hMSN-mediated H2 supply in a nitric oxide-dependent fashion. Further molecular evidences reveal that the influenced transcriptional levels of cell cycle-related genes, some miRNAs and their target genes in the auxin-responsive gene regulatory network are the important mechanisms underlying AB@hMSN-induced LR formation. Together, this report opens a new window for the application of hydrogen-releasing nanomaterials in agriculture.