Abstract
Using the proper means to improve seed germination is of great significance in agriculture and forestry. Here, a meta-analysis was used to examine whether metal nanoparticle treatments have a specific effect on the seed germination and seedling growth of agricultural species. Using the Web of Science (1950–2021), PubMed (1950–2021), and Scopus (1950–2021) databases, a paper search was conducted using the following items (“nanoparticles” and “seed germination”, “nanomaterials” and “seed germination”) to filter the references in the title, abstract, and keywords of the published articles. The results indicated that nanoparticle (NP) treatments had a significantly positive effect on the final germination percentage (FGP), with a mean difference (MD) (that is, the overall effect) of 1.97 (0.96, 2.98) for the silver (Ag)-NP subgroup, 1.21 (0.34, 2.09) for the other-NP subgroup, 1.40 (0.88, 1.92) for the total based on the NP types, 1.47 (0.85, 2.09) for the “Concentrations: <50 mg/L” subgroup, and 1.40 (0.88, 1.92) for the total based on the NP concentrations. Similarly, root length (RL) was positively and significantly affected by NP treatment, with an MD (95% CI) of 0.92 (0.76, 1.09) for the zinc (Zn)-NP subgroup, 0.79 (0.65, 0.92) for the other-NP subgroup, 0.82 (0.72, 0.93) for the total based on the NP types, 0.90 (0.77, 1.04) for the “Concentrations: ≤50 mg/L” subgroup, 0.80 (0.60, 0.99) for the “Concentrations: >50 mg/L” subgroup, and 0.82 (0.72, 0.93) for the total based on the NP concentrations. However, there was no statistical correlation between the nanoparticle concentrations and shoot length (SL), due to the inclusion of zero in the 95% CI of the overall effect. Therefore, Ag-NPs could increase the FGP more than other-NPs, while Zn-NPs enhanced RL more. Moreover, NPs at lower concentrations could improve the FGP and RL of crop species to a larger extent than NPs at higher concentrations. This meta-analysis can provide a reference for the nanoparticle treatment technology utilization in agricultural and forest seeds.
Highlights
Advancements in manufacturing have led to the fabrication of nanoparti‐cles with various sizes and shapes in large quantities; as a result, scientific studies have been conducted that investigate the environmental risks and toxic effects of nanoparticles [1,2]
The results indicated that nanoparticle (NP) treatments had a significantly positive effect on the final germination percentage (FGP), with a mean difference (MD) of 1.97 (0.96, 2.98) for the silver (Ag)‐NP subgroup, 1.21 (0.34, 2.09) for the other‐NP subgroup, 1.40 (0.88, 1.92) for the total based on the NP types, 1.47 (0.85, 2.09) for the “Concentrations: < 50 mg/L” subgroup, and 1.40 (0.88, 1.92) for the total based on the NP concentrations
The inclusion criteria of studies were as follows: (1) the seeds other than the seedlings were treated with nanoparticles; (2) both the control group and the experimental group with three or more replicates were included in each study; (3) final germination percentage, root length, and shoot length were used as germination response variables in each study; (4) the mean and standard deviation (SD) for each variable and number of seeds used in the treatments were provided; and (5) only metal nanoparticle‐involved studies were retained
Summary
Advancements in manufacturing have led to the fabrication of nanoparti‐cles with various sizes and shapes in large quantities; as a result, scientific studies have been conducted that investigate the environmental risks and toxic effects of nanoparticles [1,2]. The most commonly used NPs are metal‐based NPs, such as silver, titanium, zinc, and gold NPs, which were selected by certain researchers to better understand their effects on plants; mainly metal‐based NPs (hereafter “metal NPs”) are discussed in this study. It is well‐known that the effects induced by these materials are determined by the NP‐type, the plant species, and the growth media, which are inconsistent among the various studies [7].
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