Silicon in the form of nanosilica mitigates P toxicity in scarlet eggplant
Intensive fertilization of vegetables can promote phosphorus (P) toxicity. However, it can be reversed using silicon (Si), although there is a lack of research clarifying its mechanisms of action. This research aims to study the damage caused by P toxicity to scarlet eggplant plants and whether Si c...
Saved in:
Published in | Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 9190 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Nature Publishing Group
06.06.2023
Nature Publishing Group UK Nature Portfolio |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Intensive fertilization of vegetables can promote phosphorus (P) toxicity. However, it can be reversed using silicon (Si), although there is a lack of research clarifying its mechanisms of action. This research aims to study the damage caused by P toxicity to scarlet eggplant plants and whether Si can mitigate this toxicity. We evaluated the nutritional and physiological aspects of plants. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design of two nutritional levels of adequate P (2 mmol L
of P) and toxic/excess P (8 to 13 mmol L
of P) combined with the absence or presence of nanosilica (2 mmol L
Si) in a nutrient solution. There were six replications. The excess P in the nutrient solution caused damage to scarlet eggplant growth due to nutritional losses and oxidative stress. We found that P toxicity can be mitigated by supplying Si, which decreases P uptake by 13%, improves C:N homeostasis, and increases iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) use efficiency by 21%, 10%, and 12%, respectively. At the same time, it decreases oxidative stress and electrolyte leakage by 18% and increases antioxidant compounds (phenols and ascorbic acid by 13% and 50%, respectively), and decreases photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth by 12% (by increasing 23% and 25% of shoot and root dry mass, respectively). These findings allow us to explain the different Si mechanisms used to reverse the damage caused by P toxicity to plants. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-023-36412-w |