Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on growth and antioxidant enzymes of Capsicum chinense

Abstract

The effects of suspensions of zinc oxide nanoparticles at concentrations between 100 and 500 mg L⁻¹ on germination of Capsicum chinense seeds and vigor of plants were evaluated using a randomized complete design with four replications, resulting in increased germination and improved development of lengths of plumule and radicle. The activities of peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase were determined, showing that at all concentrations the activities of the former two enzymes were increased, whereas the activity of the latter was reduced at 500 mg L⁻¹. Pretreatments of seeds with ZnO nanoparticles can improve germination and development of seedlings and the activities of antioxidant enzymes.

Keywords:

• Nanotechnology
• nanofertilizers
• Capsicum chinense

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the project No. 268 from Fronteras de la Ciencia-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico.

Disclosure statement

We declare that all Authors have seen and approved the manuscript being submitted, and also declare no competing financial interest. We also warrant that the article has not received prior publication and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

ORCID

Ricardo Hugo Lira-Saldivar http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8045-2052.

Additional information

Funding

We thank to the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) from Escobedo, N.L., Mexico. J.I.G.-L. acknowledges the doctorate scholarship 306970 given by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).