Abstract
Nanotechnology represents an opportunity to improve the use of elements in agriculture. Selenium is an element that is beneficial to plants and essential to the human diet. The size of nanoparticles gives them characteristics that can enhance the benefits that selenium provides to plants. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of selenium nanoparticles on the growth, antioxidant responses, and fruit quality of tomato developed under NaCl stress. Four doses of selenium nanoparticles (1, 5, 10, and 20 mg L−1) under NaCl stress, only NaCl, and a control were evaluated. The results showed that the impact of salinity on the growth of the tomato crop can be reduced with the application of selenium nanoparticles. However, the amount of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds significantly increased in the leaves and fruits of tomato. The results suggest that the application of selenium nanoparticles generated a positive effect against salinity in the tomato crop; moreover, it had a positive impact on the content of beneficial biocompounds for human health in tomato fruits.
Highlights
Salinity is one of the environmental factors that affect crop productivity in addition to being one of the most widely distributed conditions in the world [1]
The results of the present study show that the application of selenium nanoparticles improved the yield and aerial biomass of tomato plants that were developed under saline stress conditions, partly due to the presence of an increase in the amount of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves, which can improve the photosynthetic capacity of the plants
They increased the majority of the antioxidant compounds that were present in the tomato fruits
Summary
Salinity is one of the environmental factors that affect crop productivity in addition to being one of the most widely distributed conditions in the world [1]. This factor directly affects the assimilation of other nutrients, and can directly generate toxicity in crops, which makes it even more dangerous for crop production [2,3]. Under the effects of salinity, plants may undergo modifications that can be morphological, such as a reduction in the foliar area, or biochemical, such as adjustments to its osmotic potential [4]. Nanotechnology has generated promising results in different areas of science, including agriculture [7]. Its application in agriculture can be a viable option, especially the use of Molecules 2019, 24, 3030; doi:10.3390/molecules24173030 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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