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Volume 14
Issue 23
10.3390/plants14233672
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Article

From Bench to Greenhouse: The Comparative Nano-Bio System Effects of Green-Synthesized TiO2-NPs and Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Capsicum annuum

by
Atiya Bhatti
1,
Jorge L. Mejía-Méndez
2,
Soheil S. Mamhoud
3,
Araceli Sanchez-Martinez
4,
Gildardo Sánchez-Ante
1,
Jorge Manuel Silva-Jara
5,
Eugenio Sánchez-Arreola
6,
Luis Marcelo Lozano
1,
Gonzalo Tortella
7,
Edgar R. López-Mena
1,* and
Diego E. Navarro-López
1,*
1
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. General Ramon Corona 2514, Zapopan 45138, Jalisco, Mexico
2
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Epigmenio González 500, San Pablo 76130, Querétaro, Mexico
3
Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
4
Departamento de Ingeniería de Proyectos, CUCEI, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. José Guadalupe Zuno # 48, Industrial los Belenes, Zapopan 45157, Jalisco, Mexico
5
Departamento de Farmacobiología, CUCEI, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Olímpica, Guadalajara 44430, Jalisco, Mexico
6
Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Santa Catarina Mártir s/n, San Andrés Cholula 72810, Puebla, Mexico
7
Centro de Excelencia en Investigación Biotecnológica Aplicada al Medio Ambiente (CIBAMA-BIOREN), Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3672; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233672 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 24 October 2025 / Revised: 30 November 2025 / Accepted: 30 November 2025 / Published: 2 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Sustainable Agriculture Through Nanomaterials: Challenges and Opportunities)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

In this study, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) were produced via green routes using blueberry extracts obtained with isopropanol (I-TiO2-NPs) and methanol (M-TiO2 NPs). HPLC-DAD confirmed phenolic/flavonoid profiles in the extracts, and spectroscopy/microscopy established anatase, polyhedral, mesoporous TiO2-NPs with Eg ≈ 3.0 eV, hydrodynamic sizes ≈ 130–150 nm and negative ζ-potentials (−33 to −50 mV). The in vitro compatibility between TiO2-NPs and the plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Bacillus thuringiensis (B), and Trichoderma harzianum (T) sustained increased growth up to 150 µg/mL without visible negative effects. In greenhouse experimentation of Capsicum annuum exposed to low-moderate TiO2-NPs, an increased leaf number and plant height were observed, while root length did not exceed the controls. I-TiO2 at moderate concentrations, particularly with a single PGPM (B or T), promoted fresh and dry biomass accumulation. Biochemically, peroxidase rose sharply for M-TiO2 at a low dose with consortium, whereas I-TiO2 elicited broader antioxidant responses; total protein increased at higher doses for both formulations, and total chlorophyll was highest with I-TiO2 (high dose with or without PGPMS). Collectively, the nano-bio system shows a formulation- and dose-dependent biphasic behavior: (I) I-TiO2 enhances biomass and photosynthetic pigments; (II) M-TiO2 favors strong POX induction under specific microorganism-dose combinations; and (III) single PGPM co-application with I-TiO2-NPs or M-TiO2 NPs outperforms consortia under our experimental conditions. Green synthesis thus provides surface functionalities that improve dispersion, microbial compatibility, and predictable physiological/biochemical outcomes for precision agriculture.
Keywords: green synthesis; nanotechnology; precision agriculture; titanium dioxide nanoparticles; plant-growth-promoting microorganisms green synthesis; nanotechnology; precision agriculture; titanium dioxide nanoparticles; plant-growth-promoting microorganisms

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MDPI and ACS Style

Bhatti, A.; Mejía-Méndez, J.L.; Mamhoud, S.S.; Sanchez-Martinez, A.; Sánchez-Ante, G.; Silva-Jara, J.M.; Sánchez-Arreola, E.; Lozano, L.M.; Tortella, G.; López-Mena, E.R.; et al. From Bench to Greenhouse: The Comparative Nano-Bio System Effects of Green-Synthesized TiO2-NPs and Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Capsicum annuum. Plants 2025, 14, 3672. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233672

AMA Style

Bhatti A, Mejía-Méndez JL, Mamhoud SS, Sanchez-Martinez A, Sánchez-Ante G, Silva-Jara JM, Sánchez-Arreola E, Lozano LM, Tortella G, López-Mena ER, et al. From Bench to Greenhouse: The Comparative Nano-Bio System Effects of Green-Synthesized TiO2-NPs and Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Capsicum annuum. Plants. 2025; 14(23):3672. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233672

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bhatti, Atiya, Jorge L. Mejía-Méndez, Soheil S. Mamhoud, Araceli Sanchez-Martinez, Gildardo Sánchez-Ante, Jorge Manuel Silva-Jara, Eugenio Sánchez-Arreola, Luis Marcelo Lozano, Gonzalo Tortella, Edgar R. López-Mena, and et al. 2025. "From Bench to Greenhouse: The Comparative Nano-Bio System Effects of Green-Synthesized TiO2-NPs and Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Capsicum annuum" Plants 14, no. 23: 3672. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233672

APA Style

Bhatti, A., Mejía-Méndez, J. L., Mamhoud, S. S., Sanchez-Martinez, A., Sánchez-Ante, G., Silva-Jara, J. M., Sánchez-Arreola, E., Lozano, L. M., Tortella, G., López-Mena, E. R., & Navarro-López, D. E. (2025). From Bench to Greenhouse: The Comparative Nano-Bio System Effects of Green-Synthesized TiO2-NPs and Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms in Capsicum annuum. Plants, 14(23), 3672. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233672

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