Green synthesized silver nanoparticles enhance drought tolerance in cotton plants cultured in vitro.

The study investigated the effects and potential applications of green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on cotton plants under in vitro drought stress. AgNPs were synthesized using cotton seed oil cake extract (CSOCE) as a stabilizing and reducing agent. The secondary metabolite content of CSOCE was analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Characterization of synthesized AgNPs was performed using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), polydispersity index (PDI), Zeta Potential (ZP), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-Ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible Light Spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectroscopy), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) analyses. According to SEM, the nanoparticle sizes varied between 50 and 100 nm. ZP was - 28.7 mV and PDI value was 0.65 according to DLS results. The experimental groups were: (1) MS medium (control group), (2) PEG, (3) AgNP, and (4) PEG + AgNP. Plants were transferred to the respective media, cultured for three days, and subsequently analyzed. Morphological parameters including root number, root and shoot lengths, and leaf surface area were measured, while physiological traits such as relative water content, biomass accumulation, osmolyte accumulation, and photosynthetic pigment contents were assessed. Molecular analyses were conducted to examine the relative gene expression of drought stress-associated genes, including CAT, POD, Cu/Zn SOD, MnSOD, MPK17, CAX2, and IDI-1. The results demonstrated that the application of AgNPs alleviated the adverse effects of in vitro drought stress on Gossypium hirsutum plants. These findings suggest that green synthesized AgNPs hold significant potential as agents to mitigate drought stress in plants.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-025-01616-z.