Wu Chengpeng, Kristensen Emil V, Minutello Francesco, Szameitat Augusta, Husted Søren, Mokso Rajmund
Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Jun 24;16:1610402. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1610402. eCollection 2025.
The integration of nanotechnology in agriculture allows for more precise nutrient delivery through nanoparticles (NPs), particularly via foliar application. To mature this technology for enhancing fertilizer efficiency, it is essential to shed new light on the transport and dissolution of NPs in plants. Available analytical methods struggle to address this challenge in a direct manner. We introduce correlative X-ray imaging as a novel analytical tool capable of tracking NP pathways, dissolution and hence nutrient release in plants. By utilizing three complementary X-ray techniques, we offer a unique insight into the plant processes associated with foliar fertilization. We demonstrate that small-angle X-ray scattering enables the characterization of NP size and concentration, while X-ray fluorescence imaging, maps the distribution of elements within the sample. Finally, micro-computed tomography integrates these findings into a complete three-dimensional digital representation of the plant's microstructure, revealing regions of apparent densification associated with NP accumulation. Using freeze-dried barley plants infiltrated with nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAP), we observed rapid dissolution of NPs, and we are able to associate time and space attributes to the translocation process of nutrients up to three days following foliar application of NPs. With the first pilot study of applying correlative X-ray imaging to live plants, we sought to indicate the potential of this new analytical approach for future nano-enabled agricultural research.
纳米技术在农业中的应用使得通过纳米颗粒（NPs）实现更精确的养分输送成为可能，特别是通过叶面喷施。为了使这项提高肥料效率的技术成熟起来，有必要对纳米颗粒在植物中的运输和溶解有新的认识。现有的分析方法难以直接应对这一挑战。我们引入相关X射线成像作为一种新型分析工具，它能够追踪纳米颗粒在植物中的路径、溶解情况以及养分释放。通过利用三种互补的X射线技术，我们对与叶面施肥相关的植物过程提供了独特的见解。我们证明小角X射线散射能够表征纳米颗粒的大小和浓度，而X射线荧光成像则可以绘制出样品中元素的分布。最后，微计算机断层扫描将这些发现整合到植物微观结构的完整三维数字表示中，揭示了与纳米颗粒积累相关的明显致密化区域。使用用纳米羟基磷灰石（nHAP）渗透的冻干大麦植株，我们观察到纳米颗粒的快速溶解，并且能够将养分在叶面喷施纳米颗粒后长达三天的转运过程的时间和空间属性联系起来。通过将相关X射线成像应用于活体植物的首次初步研究，我们试图表明这种新的分析方法在未来纳米农业研究中的潜力。
