Impact of green synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles from Rhododendron arboretum on wheat (Triticum aestivum): Evaluation of morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield attributes

In the present study, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized by the green method using Rhododendron arboreum, and their effect was evaluated on wheat. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by a UV–visible spectrophotometer, peak at 240 nm, indicating the formation IONPs. DLS demonstrated the hydrodynamic diameter of 82 nm of synthesized IONPs with 0.2 PDI. FE-SEM and FTIR confirmed the synthesis of IONPs. Further, a pot experiment was carried out to explore the effect of foliar application of various concentrations (50–200 ppm) of IONPs on two wheat genotypes: VL 953 (unfortified) and HD 3086 (iron-fortified). Among the various morpho-physiological parameters, a maximum increase of 65.9 % was recorded in carotenoid content at 150 ppm concentrations of IONPs than the control. The peroxidase activity exhibited the most significant augmentation of 132.3 % compared to the control at a concentration of 100 ppm among various antioxidant enzyme activities. Both morpho-physiological parameters and antioxidant activities were recorded higher in VL 953 genotype than HD 3086. Grain yield was documented as the highest in all yield parameters at 50 ppm in HD 3086 genotype, which was 11.8 % higher than the control. Moreover, grain iron content was increased with an increase in the concentration (50–200 ppm) of IONPs in both genotypes, and the maximum iron content was documented at 200 ppm with 60.9 % increase than the control. The present work revealed the potential of IONPs to significantly enhance the morpho-physiological parameters, promote the production of antioxidant compounds, and improve grain yield and iron content in both genotypes.