Abstract:
Objective Effects of spraying nano zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs) on the photosynthetic physiology and leaf quality of tobacco plants under drought stress were analyzed.
Method Using 80% of the normal field practice (NS) as control and 50% of the water supply for moderate drought (MD) or 30% for severe drought (SD) condition to grow Tobacco K326 seedlings in a pot experiment, solutions of ZnO-NPs were sprayed on the plant leaves at the rates of 0 (S0), 75 (S1), 125 (S2), or 150 (S3) mg·L−1. Agronomic traits, photosynthetic indices, and quality indicators of the seedlings were monitored for Pearson correlation and principal components analyses.
Result (1) Under MD or SD, the plant height, stem thickness, biomass, and leaf length, width, area, and count of the seedlings were significantly lower than those under NS. The application of foliar ZnO-NPs sprays significantly reduced such inhibitive effects. (2) Under MS or NS, the total chlorophyll in the seedlings were 14.6-23.7%, carotenoid 34.4-50.0%, net photosynthetic rate 23.9-65.6%, intercellular CO2 concentration 28.2-40.5%, stomatal conductance 83.2-123.2%, and transpiration rate 42.5-75.2% higher when S2 than S0 was applied. (3) Under SD, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in the leaves rose gradually over NS; with the application of S2, the activities were further raised by 36.2%, 17.4%, 27.1%, and 11.4%, respectively. (4) Both MD and SD caused significant declines in soluble protein and soluble sugar with increases in proline and malondialdehyde (MDA); but the ZnO-NPs spray mitigated the effects showing elevated contents of total sugar, reducing sugar, nicotine, total nitrogen, and potassium and reduced proline, MDA, and chlorine in the leaves. And (5) in comparison with S0 under SD, S2 increased the total sugar, reducing sugar, nicotine, total nitrogen, and potassium in leaf by 12.3%, 52.3%, 37.4%, 23.6%, and 19.7%, respectively, and decreased chlorine by 50.6%.
Conclusion It appeared that, among the three tested dosages, the S2 foliar ZnO-NPs spraying induced the greatest drought tolerance in tobacco seedlings under MD or SD.