Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease
Tomato plants are among the most widely cultivated and economically important crops worldwide. Farmers’ major challenge when growing tomatoes is early blight disease caused by <i>Alternaria solani</i>, which results in significant yield losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained po...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/886 |
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| author | Madeeha Ansari Shakil Ahmed Asim Abbasi Najwa A. Hamad Hayssam M. Ali Muhammad Tajammal Khan Inzamam Ul Haq Qamar uz Zaman |
| author_facet | Madeeha Ansari Shakil Ahmed Asim Abbasi Najwa A. Hamad Hayssam M. Ali Muhammad Tajammal Khan Inzamam Ul Haq Qamar uz Zaman |
| author_sort | Madeeha Ansari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tomato plants are among the most widely cultivated and economically important crops worldwide. Farmers’ major challenge when growing tomatoes is early blight disease caused by <i>Alternaria solani</i>, which results in significant yield losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained popularity recently due to their potential antifungal activity. The present study investigated the potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and their resistance against early blight disease. AgNPs were synthesized using leaf extract of the neem tree. Tomato plants treated with AgNPs showed a significant increase in plant height (30%), number of leaves, fresh weight (45%), and dry weight (40%) compared to the control plants. Moreover, the AgNP–treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in disease severity index (DSI) (73%) and disease incidence (DI) (69%) compared to the control plants. Tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm AgNPs reached their maximum levels of photosynthetic pigments and increased the accumulation of certain secondary metabolites compared to the control group. AgNP treatment improved stress tolerance in tomato plants as indicated by higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as PO (60%), PPO (65%), PAL (65.5%), SOD (65.3%), CAT (53.8%), and APX (73%). These results suggest that using green synthesized AgNPs is a promising approach for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and protecting them against early blight disease. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential of nanotechnology-based solutions for sustainable agriculture and food security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:43:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be1681fdb023405ea763d83c77f7fbe9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:43:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-be1681fdb023405ea763d83c77f7fbe92023-11-17T20:31:58ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-03-0111488610.3390/microorganisms11040886Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight DiseaseMadeeha Ansari0Shakil Ahmed1Asim Abbasi2Najwa A. Hamad3Hayssam M. Ali4Muhammad Tajammal Khan5Inzamam Ul Haq6Qamar uz Zaman7Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, PakistanInstitute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Kohsar University Murree, Murree 47150, PakistanPlant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, El-Beida P.O. Box 919, LibyaDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaInstitute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, PakistanTomato plants are among the most widely cultivated and economically important crops worldwide. Farmers’ major challenge when growing tomatoes is early blight disease caused by <i>Alternaria solani</i>, which results in significant yield losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained popularity recently due to their potential antifungal activity. The present study investigated the potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and their resistance against early blight disease. AgNPs were synthesized using leaf extract of the neem tree. Tomato plants treated with AgNPs showed a significant increase in plant height (30%), number of leaves, fresh weight (45%), and dry weight (40%) compared to the control plants. Moreover, the AgNP–treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in disease severity index (DSI) (73%) and disease incidence (DI) (69%) compared to the control plants. Tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm AgNPs reached their maximum levels of photosynthetic pigments and increased the accumulation of certain secondary metabolites compared to the control group. AgNP treatment improved stress tolerance in tomato plants as indicated by higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as PO (60%), PPO (65%), PAL (65.5%), SOD (65.3%), CAT (53.8%), and APX (73%). These results suggest that using green synthesized AgNPs is a promising approach for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and protecting them against early blight disease. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential of nanotechnology-based solutions for sustainable agriculture and food security.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/886silver nanoparticlesplant growthplant protectiondisease managementagricultural sustainabilitytomato |
| spellingShingle | Madeeha Ansari Shakil Ahmed Asim Abbasi Najwa A. Hamad Hayssam M. Ali Muhammad Tajammal Khan Inzamam Ul Haq Qamar uz Zaman Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease Microorganisms silver nanoparticles plant growth plant protection disease management agricultural sustainability tomato |
| title | Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease |
| title_full | Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease |
| title_fullStr | Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease |
| title_short | Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease |
| title_sort | green synthesized silver nanoparticles a novel approach for the enhanced growth and yield of tomato against early blight disease |
| topic | silver nanoparticles plant growth plant protection disease management agricultural sustainability tomato |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/4/886 |
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