Ishfaq Maham, Shafiq Fahad, Anwar Sumera, Iqbal Muhammad, Raza Syed Hammad, Mahmood Arslan, Ashraf Muhammad
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Botany, Government College University Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Biometals. 2025 Jun 30. doi: 10.1007/s10534-025-00713-6.
Nano-Fe forms could serve as novel fertilizers that can enhance Fe bioavailability. In this study, we synthesized magnetite nanoparticles and complexed nano-FeO with glycine, aspartic acid, and arginine. After synthesis, the amino acid-functionalized Fe-nanoparticles (nFeO-Gly, nFeO-Asp, and nFeO-Arg) were sprayed (75 and 150 mg L) on okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] plants, and changes in growth, biochemical traits, and their role in agronomic biofortification were investigated during a field experiment using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). It was found that foliar application of these nanoparticles significantly enhanced okra biomass, and the most effective was nFeO-Gly at 75 mg/L, which enhanced shoot dry weight (+ 70.1%), number of leaves (+ 30.2%), leaf area (+ 48.3%), and number of branches (+ 55.6%) compared to the control. Moreover, foliar treatments positively influenced soluble proteins (up to 1.8 mg/g FW; + 44.4% than control) and free amino acids (up to 1.52 mg/g DW; + 57.8%). Most importantly, Fe concentrations in leaves and okra fruits substantially increased, indicating prominent Fe biofortification. After all, three harvests, okra fruits exhibited up to 0.71 mg/g DW (+ 50.7% than control). Overall, nFeO-Arg was the most effective for Fe biofortification of okra fruits at a concentration of 75 mg/L. In contrast, the yield per plant was enhanced by both nFeO-Arg and nFeO-Asp. In summary, this study demonstrated the potential of amino acid-functionalized Fe nanoparticles in improving growth and Fe bioavailability in okra, offering a promising avenue for addressing Fe deficiency in crops.
纳米铁形态可作为新型肥料，提高铁的生物有效性。在本研究中，我们合成了磁铁矿纳米颗粒，并将纳米FeO与甘氨酸、天冬氨酸和精氨酸络合。合成后，将氨基酸功能化的铁纳米颗粒（nFeO-Gly、nFeO-Asp和nFeO-Arg）以75和150 mg/L的浓度喷施于秋葵[Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]植株上，采用随机完全区组设计（RCBD）进行田间试验，研究其对生长、生化特性的影响及其在农艺生物强化中的作用。结果发现，叶面喷施这些纳米颗粒显著提高了秋葵生物量，其中最有效的是浓度为75 mg/L的nFeO-Gly，与对照相比，其地上部干重增加了70.1%，叶片数增加了30.2%，叶面积增加了48.3%，分枝数增加了55.6%。此外，叶面处理对可溶性蛋白（高达1.8 mg/g FW；比对照增加44.4%）和游离氨基酸（高达1.52 mg/g DW；比对照增加57.8%）有积极影响。最重要的是，叶片和秋葵果实中的铁浓度大幅增加，表明铁生物强化效果显著。经过三次收获，秋葵果实中的铁含量高达0.71 mg/g DW（比对照增加50.7%）。总体而言，浓度为75 mg/L的nFeO-Arg对秋葵果实的铁生物强化效果最为显著。相比之下，nFeO-Arg和nFeO-Asp均提高了单株产量。总之，本研究证明了氨基酸功能化铁纳米颗粒在改善秋葵生长和铁生物有效性方面的潜力，为解决作物缺铁问题提供了一条有前景的途径。
