Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mehrdad Zarafshar ¹
• Moslem Akbar nia ²
• Sayed Mohsen Hosaini ³
• Ali Sattarian ⁴
• Maryam Niyakan ⁵

¹ Assistant professor, Natural Resources Department, Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Shiraz, Fars, Iran

² Associate Professor , Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandran

³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Gonbad-Kavoos University, Gonbad-Kavoos, Golestan.

⁴ Associate Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan Branch, Gorgan, Golestan

⁵ Master Graduated from Tarbiat Modares University.

Abstract

Using of Nano-materials is one of the suitable ways for increasing of abiotic resistance in plants. In the current research, wild pear seedlings were irrigated with different concentrations of TiO₂ and SiO₂ NPs such as 0, 10, 100, 500 and 100 mgL^-1. After this pretreatments, irrigation was stopped for 14 days to induce drought stress on the seedlings. At the end of the experiment, relative water content, xylem water potential, root biomass, electrolyte leakage rate, proline content and catalase enzyme activity were measured. The results showed that although both types of nanoparticles were differentially absorbed by roots of wild pear seedlings, the amelioration of water deficit in terms of all studied variables were observed for both of NPs with a slight differences between them. SiO₂ NPs was more successful in improving root biomass and relative water content. On the other hand, TiO₂ NPs was more successful in improving xylem water potential and catalase activity. Finally, amelioration effects of both NPs were clearly proved by the current research but further experiments are advised to find out involved mechanisms.    

Keywords

• biomass
• Catalase
• Nanoparticles
• Nutritional elements
• Water withholding