molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Nanotechnology in Plant Growth

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 10551

Special Issue Editor

Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: tomato stress tolerance; pollen and fruit development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In modern agriculture, nanotechnology is thought to be a major field of research and source of innovation in order to meet the rising global demand for food and agricultural sustainability. The broad range of applications of nanotechnology has revolutionized agriculture in order to ensure food security in the face of climate change. Because of the unique physico-chemical properties, nanomaterials have received much scientific attention. Nanomaterials offer a wider specific surface area that bridges the gap between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures. Therefore, the application of nanomaterials in the precise management and control of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and nanotechnological tools like nanobiosensors, can support the growth of high-tech agricultural farming. Moreover, nanomaterials can effectively enhance plant growth, help to identify environmental problems, and improve the tolerance of crops to multiple stresses. Considering the enormous progress of nanotechnology in crop science, this Special Issue welcomes high-quality research articles on innovative uses of nanotechnology in crop growth and stress tolerance towards sustainable agricultural development.

Prof. Dr. Jie Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanotechnology
  • agriculture
  • nano-agrochemicals
  • nanotools
  • stress
  • crop growth
  • sustainable agriculture
  • food security

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 3489 KiB  
Article
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Alleviate Chilling Stress in Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) by Regulating Antioxidative System and Chilling Response Transcription Factors
by Yue Song, Meng Jiang, Huali Zhang and Ruiqing Li
Molecules 2021, 26(8), 2196; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26082196 - 11 Apr 2021
Cited by 73 | Viewed by 3057
Abstract
As one of the common abiotic stresses, chilling stress has negative effects on rice growth and development. Minimization of these adverse effects through various ways is vital for the productivity of rice. Nanoparticles (NPs) serve as one of the effective alleviation methods against [...] Read more.
As one of the common abiotic stresses, chilling stress has negative effects on rice growth and development. Minimization of these adverse effects through various ways is vital for the productivity of rice. Nanoparticles (NPs) serve as one of the effective alleviation methods against abiotic stresses. In our research, zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs were utilized as foliar sprays on rice leaves to explore the mechanism underlying the effect of NPs against the negative impact of chilling stress on rice seedlings. We revealed that foliar application of ZnO NPs significantly alleviated chilling stress in hydroponically grown rice seedlings, including improved plant height, root length, and dry biomass. Besides, ZnO NPs also restored chlorophyll accumulation and significantly ameliorated chilling-induced oxidative stress with reduced levels of H2O2, MDA, proline, and increased activities of major antioxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD). We further found that foliar application of ZnO NPs induced the chilling-induced gene expression of the antioxidative system (OsCu/ZnSOD1, OsCu/ZnSOD2, OsCu/ZnSOD3, OsPRX11, OsPRX65, OsPRX89, OsCATA, and OsCATB) and chilling response transcription factors (OsbZIP52, OsMYB4, OsMYB30, OsNAC5, OsWRKY76, and OsWRKY94) in leaves of chilling-treated seedlings. Taken together, our results suggest that foliar application of ZnO NPs could alleviate chilling stress in rice via the mediation of the antioxidative system and chilling response transcription factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology in Plant Growth)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 1838 KiB  
Review
The Applications of Nanotechnology in Crop Production
by Chenxu Liu, Hui Zhou and Jie Zhou
Molecules 2021, 26(23), 7070; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26237070 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6839
Abstract
With the frequent occurrence of extreme climate, global agriculture is confronted with unprecedented challenges, including increased food demand and a decline in crop production. Nanotechnology is a promising way to boost crop production, enhance crop tolerance and decrease the environmental pollution. In this [...] Read more.
With the frequent occurrence of extreme climate, global agriculture is confronted with unprecedented challenges, including increased food demand and a decline in crop production. Nanotechnology is a promising way to boost crop production, enhance crop tolerance and decrease the environmental pollution. In this review, we summarize the recent findings regarding innovative nanotechnology in crop production, which could help us respond to agricultural challenges. Nanotechnology, which involves the use of nanomaterials as carriers, has a number of diverse applications in plant growth and crop production, including in nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanosensors and nanobiotechnology. The unique structures of nanomaterials such as high specific surface area, centralized distribution size and excellent biocompatibility facilitate the efficacy and stability of agro-chemicals. Besides, using appropriate nanomaterials in plant growth stages or stress conditions effectively promote plant growth and increase tolerance to stresses. Moreover, emerging nanotools and nanobiotechnology provide a new platform to monitor and modify crops at the molecular level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology in Plant Growth)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop