article · Biologia
Water scarcity driven by environmental change increasingly necessitates the use of alternative irrigation sources such as wastewater, which often introduces harmful heavy metal stress to crops. In an experimental evaluation, carrot plants irrigated with wastewater accumulated toxic levels of nickel, cadmium, lead, and cobalt that exceeded international safety standards, accompanied by elevated oxidative stress markers and reduced soluble carbohydrates and proteins. The application of synthesized selenium nanoparticles, administered either alone or combined with glycine betaine and proline, markedly lowered the accumulation of these toxic metals in edible tissues. Furthermore, the treatments reduced oxidative damage indicators while enhancing plant morphology, photosynthetic pigments, soluble proteins, carbohydrates, and beta-carotene content. These findings indicate that selenium nanoparticles combined with glycine betaine and proline effectively mitigate heavy metal stress and bolster crop productivity under wastewater irrigation.
Water scarcity forces farmers in dry areas to rely on wastewater for crop irrigation, which can introduce hazardous heavy metals into the human food supply. Identifying ways to curb heavy metal uptake in root crops protects food safety and crop yields. This approach helps farmers safely recycle water resources without compromising vegetable quality or consumer health.
This work demonstrates an applied, experimental intervention relevant to agricultural biotechnology firms and commercial growers using non-potable or recycled irrigation water. Formulations combining selenium nanoparticles, glycine betaine, and proline could form crop protection products designed to limit heavy metal uptake in root crops. Because testing occurred at an experimental stage, field trials, safety assessments, and cost-benefit evaluations are necessary before reaching commercial readiness.
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Abstract Climate changes have a direct impact on agricultural lands through their impact on the rate of water levels in the oceans and seas, which leads to a decrease in the amount of water used in agriculture, and therefore the use of alternative sources of irrigation such as wastewater and overcoming its harmful effect on plants was one of the solutions to face this problem. In the present study, the impacts of the synthesized selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) alone or in combination with glycine betaine and proline treatments on the growth, physiological, and yield attributes of wastewater irrigated carrot plants are investigated. Furthermore, to evaluate heavy metals uptake and accumulation in edible plant parts. The usage of wastewater to carrot plants significantly increased free proline contents, total phenols, superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, Malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) throughout the two growth stages. While total soluble carbohydrate and soluble protein content in carrot shoots and roots were significantly reduced. Moreover, the concentrations of nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and cobalt (Co) in carrot plants were considerably higher than the recommended limits set by international organizations. Application of selenium nanoparticles alone or in combination with glycine betaine and proline reduced the contents of Ni, Cd, Pb, and Co; free proline; total phenols; superoxide dismutase; catalase; peroxidase; polyphenol oxidase; Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in carrot plants. However, morphological aspects, photosynthetic pigments, soluble carbohydrates, soluble protein, total phenol, and β-Carotene were enhanced in response to Se NPs application. As an outcome, this research revealed that Se NPs combined with glycine betaine and proline can be used as a strategy to minimize heavy metal stress caused by wastewater irrigation in carrot plants, consequently enhancing crop productivity and growth.
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DOI: 10.1007/s11756-023-01401-x
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