Issue 10, 2020

Alleviation of nitrogen stress in rice (Oryza sativa) by ceria nanoparticles

Abstract

This study explored the potential of ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) to alleviate stress in hydroponic rice caused by low N (LN) and high N (HN) stresses. The N content in plants was measured after 3 weeks of treatment with CeO2 NPs. The impact of CeO2 NPs on plants under medium N (MN, a normal condition) was studied as a comparison. LN resulted in N deficiency while HN led to N excess in plants while impairing plant growth. CeO2 NPs (100 and 500 mg L−1) increased the N levels in roots and shoots under LN by 6–12% and 22–30%, respectively. However, under HN stress, 500 mg L−1 CeO2 NPs reduced the N levels in roots and shoots by 9% and 6%, respectively. CeO2 NP treatment enhanced the activities of key enzymes involved in N assimilation, glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), accounting for the increased N content in plants under LN. Under HN, 500 mg L−1 CeO2 NPs downregulated the GS and GDH activity by 42% and 36%, respectively. CeO2 NPs reduced oxidative membrane and DNA damage and enhanced plant tolerance to N-stress by regulating the antioxidant enzyme system and the levels of proline and phytohormones including gibberellin 3, abscisic acid, zeatin riboside and indole-3-acetic acid. However, when N is supplied normally, CeO2 NPs caused oxidative stress in plants thereby impairing plant growth. A change of N conditions altered the root exudate composition and led to different extents of transformation of CeO2 NPs at the root interface and different Ce uptake and translocation in plants. This study for the first time reported that CeO2 NPs could act as an alleviator of N stress in rice, while it might be a risk when the N supply is normal.

Graphical abstract: Alleviation of nitrogen stress in rice (Oryza sativa) by ceria nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 jul 2020
Accepted
29 aug 2020
First published
31 aug 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2020,7, 2930-2940

Alleviation of nitrogen stress in rice (Oryza sativa) by ceria nanoparticles

Y. Wang, P. Zhang, M. Li, Z. Guo, S. Ullah, Y. Rui and I. Lynch, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2020, 7, 2930 DOI: 10.1039/D0EN00757A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements