Seed Priming with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Raises Biomass Production and Agronomic Profile of Water-Stressed Flax Plants

The current study is a field experiment set out to comprehend significance of the iron oxide (TO) nanoparticles for use as seed priming agents and their subsequent impact in alleviating water stress and improving agronomic profile of flax plants. The experimental layout consisted of a split-plot factorial design with one main plot divided into two subplots corresponding to drought and well-irrigated environment. Each of the subplots was divided into five rows of the flax plants raised from iron oxide primed seeds. The seed priming concentrations were 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm. Seed priming increased stem diameter, stem length, height, fresh weights, and dry weights of plant. The yield attributes, such as number of fruit branches, capsules, seeds per capsule, total fresh and dry stem's fiber production, were also predominantly improved. The levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were found to decline by 66% and 71%, respectively, upon seed priming, and an enhancement in activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) was also observed by 28%, 56%, and 39%, respectively, documenting the potential of iron oxide particles in mitigating the water stress.

Automated summary

This study conducted a field experiment to investigate the significance of iron oxide nanoparticles as seed priming agents in alleviating water stress and improving the agronomic characteristics of flax plants. The results showed that seed priming with iron oxide increased plant growth, yield, and antioxidant enzyme activity, while reducing oxidative stress indicators. This demonstrates the potential of iron oxide particles in mitigating water stress.