Impact of Bulk ZnO, ZnO Nanoparticles and Dissolved Zn on Early Growth Stages of Barley—A Pot Experiment
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Institute of Laboratory Research on Geomaterials, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
2
Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2020, 9(10), 1365; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101365
Received: 22 August 2020
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Revised: 5 October 2020
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Accepted: 12 October 2020
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Published: 15 October 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fundamental and Applied Research for the Effective Deployment of Phytoremediation)
Zinc is among the most in-demand metals in the world which also means that a considerable amount of this element is released to the environment each year as a result of human activities. A pot experiment was conducted to study the impact of low- and high-dose zinc amendments on plant growth and biomass yield, with Calcic Chernozem as a growing medium and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as a model plant. The distribution of zinc in various plant parts was also investigated. Zn (II) was added in powder as bulk ZnO and in solution as ZnO nanoparticles and ZnSO4 in two dosages (3 and 30 mmol kg−1 soil) prior to planting. The plants were harvested after 10 days of growth. The three sets of data were taken under identical experimental conditions. The application of zinc in aqueous solution and in particulate form (having particle sizes in the range of <100 nm to >500 nm) at concentration of 3 and 30 mmol Zn kg−1 to the soil resulted in decreased growth (root length, shoot length) and biomass yield; the only exception was the addition of 30 mmol Zn kg−1 in the form of bulk ZnO, which had a positive effect on the root growth. The dry weight reduction (sprout biomass) was lowest in plants grown in soil treated with dissolved zinc. There were no statistically significant changes in the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll, although flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) analysis indicated that plants bioaccumulated the zinc applied. This implies that the transport of zinc into the above-ground plant parts is controlled by the presence of effective mechanical and physiological barriers in roots. Crop performance under zinc stress in relation to biomass production and the growth of roots and shoots is also partly a reflection of the effects of soil properties. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering plant-soil interactions in research of potential toxicity and bioavailability of zinc in the environment.
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Keywords:
agricultural soil; bioaccumulation; chernozem; nanoparticles; toxicity; zinc oxide
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MDPI and ACS Style
Nemček, L.; Šebesta, M.; Urík, M.; Bujdoš, M.; Dobročka, E.; Vávra, I. Impact of Bulk ZnO, ZnO Nanoparticles and Dissolved Zn on Early Growth Stages of Barley—A Pot Experiment. Plants 2020, 9, 1365. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101365
AMA Style
Nemček L, Šebesta M, Urík M, Bujdoš M, Dobročka E, Vávra I. Impact of Bulk ZnO, ZnO Nanoparticles and Dissolved Zn on Early Growth Stages of Barley—A Pot Experiment. Plants. 2020; 9(10):1365. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101365
Chicago/Turabian StyleNemček, Lucia, Martin Šebesta, Martin Urík, Marek Bujdoš, Edmund Dobročka, and Ivo Vávra. 2020. "Impact of Bulk ZnO, ZnO Nanoparticles and Dissolved Zn on Early Growth Stages of Barley—A Pot Experiment" Plants 9, no. 10: 1365. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101365
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