Silicon nanoparticles decrease arsenic translocation and mitigate phytotoxicity in tomato plants.

Magín González-Moscoso,Bhaskar Sengupta,Gregorio Cadenas-Pliego,Diana Meza-Figueroa,Antonio Juárez-Maldonado,Nadia Martínez-Villegas

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-17665-2

Abstract

In this study, we simulate the irrigation of tomato plants with arsenic (As)-contaminated water (from 0 to 3.2mg L-1) and investigate the effect of the application of silicon nanoparticle (Si NPs) in the form of silicon dioxide (0, 250, and 1000mg L-1) on As uptake and stress. Arsenic concentrations were determined in substrate and plant tissue at three different stratums. Phytotoxicity, As accumulation and translocation, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds were also determined. Our results show that irrigation of tomato plants with As-contaminated water caused As substrate enrichment and As bioaccumulation (roots > leaves > steam), showing that the higher the concentration in irrigation water, the farther As translocated through the different tomato stratums. Additionally, phytotoxicity was observed at low concentrations of As, while tomato yield increased at high concentrations of As. We found that application of Si NPs decreased As translocation, tomato yield, and root biomass. Increased production of photosynthetic pigments and improved enzymatic activity (CAT and APX) suggested tomato plant adaptation at high As concentrations in the presence of Si NPs. Our results reveal likely impacts of As and nanoparticles on tomato production in places where As in groundwater is common and might represent a risk.

Highlights

Arsenic (As) is considered one of the most toxic elements in the environment (Otero et al 2016)
A total of 18 treatments intended to simulate the irrigation of tomato plants with As contaminated water at six different concentrations (0.0, 0.2, 0.4. 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 mg L− 1) as well as the application of silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) at three different dosis (0, 250 and 1000 mg L− 1) were tested in tomato plants in twelve replicates to make a total of 216 experimental units (Table S1, Supplementary Material)
Si NPs from SkySpring Nanomaterials Inc. were applied via substrate at 0, 250 and 1000 mg L− 1 doses every three weeks making a total of 6 applications of 10 mL of solution per plant

Summary

Introduction

Arsenic (As) is considered one of the most toxic elements in the environment (Otero et al 2016). Irrigation of agricultural soils with As contaminated water causes As soil enrichment as well as As bioaccumulation and toxicity (Ruíz-Huerta et al 2017). As a result, it can enter the food chain and represent a risk to human health (Islam et al 2016). Arsenic induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that lead to lipid peroxidation and can result in plant death (Finnegan and Chen, 2012). To counteract ROS stress, plants activate their antioxidant defense system in order to protect their cellular system from harmful effects (Gomes et al 2014)

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Methods

Results