{"title":"Silver nanoparticles priming for drought tolerance in wheat: insights from antioxidant system activation and stress memory","authors":"Sijie Ding, Lihao Zheng, Tao Tao, Qing Li, Jian Cai, Qin Zhou, Yingxin Zhong, Xiao Wang, Dong Jiang","doi":"10.1186/s40538-025-00778-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>AgNPs (nano-silver), as an important nano-material, has been shown to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). This feature can be applied to crop production, triggering a slight stress response and improving tolerance to subsequent stresses. This study investigates the effects of AgNPs on the antioxidant system of newly developed wheat leaves, highlighting their potential to enhance crop resilience.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>The morphology and particle size of AgNPs were observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The effects of AgNPs were evaluated by measuring chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence. Antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde content were quantified, and changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using 2’,7’- dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) probe to investigate the physiological mechanism by which AgNPs enhance wheat drought tolerance. Additionally, silver content in different wheat tissues was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Our findings demonstrate that lower concentrations of AgNPs (1 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>) improve drought tolerance without adversely affecting plant growth, while higher concentrations (5 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> and 10 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>) have detrimental effects. Pre-treatment with 1 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> AgNPs primes wheat plants for enhanced drought tolerance by inducing a stress memory effect, likely mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Spatiotemporal analyses revealed that AgNPs treatment leads to a controlled ROS accumulation, which activates the antioxidant system, reduces lipid peroxidation, and enhances photosynthetic efficiency under drought conditions. Moreover, AgNPs application significantly increases grain yield, with accumulation primarily in leaves and stems and no detectable presence in grains, suggesting a low risk of contamination in the food chain.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Spraying AgNPs produces ROS, which triggers the wheat stress response and forms stress memory. This enables wheat plants to respond rapidly to subsequent drought stress. AgNPs also enhance antioxidant enzyme activity, reduce lipid peroxidation, mitigate drought-induced damage, maintain photosynthetic efficiency, and ultimately improve wheat yield under drought conditions.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\n<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":512,"journal":{"name":"Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chembioagro.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s40538-025-00778-y","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40538-025-00778-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
AgNPs (nano-silver), as an important nano-material, has been shown to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). This feature can be applied to crop production, triggering a slight stress response and improving tolerance to subsequent stresses. This study investigates the effects of AgNPs on the antioxidant system of newly developed wheat leaves, highlighting their potential to enhance crop resilience.
Methods
The morphology and particle size of AgNPs were observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The effects of AgNPs were evaluated by measuring chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence. Antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde content were quantified, and changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using 2’,7’- dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) probe to investigate the physiological mechanism by which AgNPs enhance wheat drought tolerance. Additionally, silver content in different wheat tissues was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Results
Our findings demonstrate that lower concentrations of AgNPs (1 mg·L−1) improve drought tolerance without adversely affecting plant growth, while higher concentrations (5 mg·L−1 and 10 mg·L−1) have detrimental effects. Pre-treatment with 1 mg·L−1 AgNPs primes wheat plants for enhanced drought tolerance by inducing a stress memory effect, likely mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Spatiotemporal analyses revealed that AgNPs treatment leads to a controlled ROS accumulation, which activates the antioxidant system, reduces lipid peroxidation, and enhances photosynthetic efficiency under drought conditions. Moreover, AgNPs application significantly increases grain yield, with accumulation primarily in leaves and stems and no detectable presence in grains, suggesting a low risk of contamination in the food chain.
Conclusions
Spraying AgNPs produces ROS, which triggers the wheat stress response and forms stress memory. This enables wheat plants to respond rapidly to subsequent drought stress. AgNPs also enhance antioxidant enzyme activity, reduce lipid peroxidation, mitigate drought-induced damage, maintain photosynthetic efficiency, and ultimately improve wheat yield under drought conditions.
期刊介绍：
Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed forum for the advancement and application to all fields of agriculture of modern chemical, biochemical and molecular technologies. The scope of this journal includes chemical and biochemical processes aimed to increase sustainable agricultural and food production, the evaluation of quality and origin of raw primary products and their transformation into foods and chemicals, as well as environmental monitoring and remediation. Of special interest are the effects of chemical and biochemical technologies, also at the nano and supramolecular scale, on the relationships between soil, plants, microorganisms and their environment, with the help of modern bioinformatics. Another special focus is the use of modern bioorganic and biological chemistry to develop new technologies for plant nutrition and bio-stimulation, advancement of biorefineries from biomasses, safe and traceable food products, carbon storage in soil and plants and restoration of contaminated soils to agriculture.
This journal presents the first opportunity to bring together researchers from a wide number of disciplines within the agricultural chemical and biological sciences, from both industry and academia. The principle aim of Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture is to allow the exchange of the most advanced chemical and biochemical knowledge to develop technologies which address one of the most pressing challenges of our times - sustaining a growing world population.
Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture publishes original research articles, short letters and invited reviews. Articles from scientists in industry, academia as well as private research institutes, non-governmental and environmental organizations are encouraged.
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