Zamora-Ledezma Ezequiel, Aragundi Glenda Leonela Loor, Guamán Marquines Willian Stalyn, Macías Pro Michael Anibal, García Díaz José Vicente, Pacheco Gil Henry Antonio, Londoño Julián Mauricio Botero, Londoño Mónica Andrea Botero, Zamora-Ledezma Camilo
Laboratorio de Funcionamiento de Agroecosistemas y Cambio Climático FAGROCLIM, Departamento de Ciencias Agrícolas, Facultad de Ingeniería Agrícola, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Lodana 13132, Ecuador.
Environment Department, PDVSA Intevep, Los Teques, Miranda, P.O. Box 76343, Caracas 1070-A, Venezuela.
J Xenobiot. 2025 Aug 1;15(4):123. doi: 10.3390/jox15040123.
Nanofertilizers (NFs) and engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used in agriculture, yet their environmental safety remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the comparative phytotoxicity of zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO), and clinoptilolite nanoparticles, three commercial nanofertilizers, and potassium dichromate (KCrO) using seeds under adapted OECD-208 protocol conditions. Seeds were exposed to varying concentrations of each xenobiotic material (0.5-3% for NFs; 10-50% for NPs), with systematic assessment of seedling survival, root and hypocotyl length, dry biomass, germination index (GI), and median effective concentration (EC) values. Nanofertilizers demonstrated significantly greater phytotoxicity than engineered nanoparticles despite lower application concentrations. The toxicity ranking was established as NF1 > NF3 > NF2 > NM2 > NM1 > NM3, with NF1 being most toxic (EC = 1.2%). Nanofertilizers caused 45-78% reductions in root length and 30-65% decreases in dry biomass compared with controls. GI values dropped to ≤70% in NF1 and NF3 treatments, indicating concentration-dependent growth inhibition. While nanofertilizers offer agricultural benefits, their elevated phytotoxicity compared with conventional nanoparticles necessitates rigorous pre-application safety assessment. These findings emphasize the critical need for standardized evaluation protocols incorporating both physiological and ecotoxicological endpoints to ensure safe xenobiotic nanomaterial deployment in agricultural systems.
纳米肥料（NFs）和工程纳米颗粒（NPs）在农业中的应用日益广泛，但其环境安全性仍知之甚少。本研究采用经调整的经合组织-208协议条件，使用种子评估了氧化锌（ZnO）、二氧化钛（TiO）和斜发沸石纳米颗粒这三种商业纳米肥料以及重铬酸钾（KCrO）的相对植物毒性。种子暴露于每种外源物质的不同浓度下（纳米肥料为0.5 - 3%；纳米颗粒为10 - 50%），并系统评估了幼苗存活率、根和下胚轴长度、干生物量、发芽指数（GI）和半数有效浓度（EC）值。尽管纳米肥料的施用浓度较低，但其显示出比工程纳米颗粒更大的植物毒性。毒性排名确定为NF1 > NF3 > NF2 > NM2 > NM1 > NM3，其中NF1毒性最大（EC = 1.2%）。与对照相比，纳米肥料使根长度减少了45 - 78%，干生物量减少了30 - 65%。在NF1和NF3处理中，GI值降至≤70%，表明存在浓度依赖性生长抑制。虽然纳米肥料具有农业益处，但其与传统纳米颗粒相比更高的植物毒性需要进行严格施用前安全评估。这些发现强调迫切需要制定标准化评估方案，纳入生理和生态毒理学终点，以确保外源纳米材料在农业系统中的安全应用。
