Appropriate foliar application of zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) is important for the proper growth and yield of tomato. However, the effects of foliar application of Zn and ZnO-NPs were not well-studied on tomato production. A pot experiment was conducted at glasshouse (8D) conditions under the Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to evaluate the effectiveness of Zn and ZnO-NPs on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and fruit quality of tomatoes and to compare between the Zn nutrient and ZnO-NPs. Treatment combinations were 14 viz. T₁ = 0 (control), T₂ = 1500 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T₃ = 2000 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T₄ = 2500 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T₅ = 75 ppm ZnO nanoparticle, T₆ = 100 ppm ZnO nanoparticle, and T₇ = 125 ppm ZnO nanoparticle along with two tomato varieties. The experimental design was a split plot with four replications. Results indicated that foliar application of 100 ppm ZnO-NPs performed best in terms of growth parameters, physiological traits, yield attributes, yield, and quality traits of tomatoes. The same treatment (100 ppm ZnO-NPs) contributed to attain the highest nutrient uptake. Recovery use efficiency of Zn was highest with foliar application of 75 ppm ZnO-NPs. The highest yield increment (200%) over control was from foliar sprayed with 100 ppm ZnO-NPs. Comparing the two varieties, MARDI Tomato-3 (MT3) showed better than MARDI Tomato-1 (MT1). As is appears from the results, foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles was more efficient than conventional zinc fertilizer. Therefore, the foliar sprayed with 100 ppm ZnO-NPs can be suggested to improve quantity and quality of tomato in glasshouse soil conditions.

Growing vegetables can be seen as a means of improving people’s livelihoods and nutritional status. Tomatoes are one of the world’s most commonly planted vegetable crops. The nutritional arrangement of the tomato depends on the quantity and type of nutrients taken from the growing medium, such assoil and foliar application; therefore, an adequate amount of macro- and micro-nutrients, including zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), are crucial for tomato production. Zinc foliar spraying is one of the effective procedures that may improve crop quality and yield. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are represented as a biosafety concern for biological materials. Foliar application of Zn showed better results in increasing soluble solids(TSS), firmness, titratable acidity, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, ascorbic acid, amount of lycopene. Researchers have observed the effect of nanoparticles of zinc oxide on various crops, including tomatoes. Foliar spraying of ZnO-NPs gave the most influential results in terms of best planting parameters, namely plant height, early flowering, fruit yields as well as lycopene content. Therefore, more attention should be given to improving quantity and quality as well as nutrient use efficiency of Zn and ZnO-NPs in tomato production. Recent information on the effect of zinc nutrient foliar spraying and ZnO-NPs as a nano fertilizer on tomato productivity is reviewed in this article.

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a major crop of global economic significance. The characterization of genes associated with agriculturally important traits is often performed using genetic transformation. To achieve an efficient transformation protocol, three components are required, namely, a regenerable target tissue, a DNA delivery method, and a robust transformant selection system. The present study was conducted to optimize the in vitro regeneration protocol for the tomato cv. MT1. The regeneration capacity of hypocotyl and cotyledon explants was evaluated using a total of 20 concentration combinations of two plant growth regulators (PGRs) added into the basal MSB5 medium, namely, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/L) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/L). The optimal PGRs combinations for the cotyledons and hypocotyls were MSB5 supplemented with 2 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L IAA and MSB5 supplemented with 2 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L IAA, respectively. To determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of kanamycin, eight different concentrations (0, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 mg/L) were added to the MSB5 supplemented with 2 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L IAA. The MIC for the cotyledons and hypocotyls were determined to be 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L, respectively.

Sustainable and resilient cropping intensity is now a global focus to address the food demand and nutrition security of the growing population. For sustainable intensification, maintaining soil fertility is a key concern. The nutrient management for the recently developed four crop-based cropping system in Bangladesh has not yet been studied. Hence, field experiments were conducted on the nutrient management of the four crop-based cropping system [Aus (pre-monsoon rice), Aman (monsoon rice), lentil, and mungbean] in calcareous soil in Bangladesh during the years of 2016/17 and 2017/18 to determine the appropriate fertilizer management package to improve crop productivity and sustain soil fertility. The experiment had six treatments assigned in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments included T₁ = control (without synthetic fertilizer), T₂ = 50% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), T₃ = 75% RDF, T₄ = 100% RDF, T₅ = 125% RDF, and T₆ = farmers’ practice (FP). The results revealed that the 125% RDF significantly contributed to higher yields of all four crops. The rice equivalent yield (REY) was the highest for the fertilizer management of 125% RDF, which was 45.5%, 9.4%, and 12.2% higher than the control (T₁), 100% RDF (T₄), and FP, respectively. Considering the uptake of nutrients (N, P, K, S, Zn, and B) by the crops in the cropping system, the 125% RDF was superior to the other treatments. The nutrient management practices had a positive influence on the apparent nutrient recovery (ANR) efficiency of the cropping system. The fertilizer management of 125% RDF was also economically more profitable due to the increment in the cost–benefit ratio of 26.8%, 4.4%, and 4.9% over the control, 100% RDF, and FP, respectively. The results indicate that the current fertilizer recommendations and FP for aus, aman, lentil, and mungbean are not adequate for the change from the three crop to the four crop-based pattern, and an increased dose of fertilizer is required to increase the yield of each individual crop as well as the total system’s productivity. The fertilizer use efficiency is also higher for 125% RDF than the 100% RDF and FP indicating that to sustain the soil fertility in the four crop-based system, the current RDF and FP are not sufficient. This finding will help intensive cropping areas in preventing nutrient deficiencies that would lead to a reduction in the crop yield.

Foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) is a promising strategy in modern agriculture. This method has shown significant potential in enhancing tomato yields, improving fruit quality, and increasing nutrient uptake. An experiment was conducted in cocopeat media under glasshouse conditions at Ladang 15, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2020 to evaluate the effectiveness of various doses of ZnO-NPs on plant growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and fruit quality in terms of profitability. A total of ten treatments were evaluated, consisting of five levels of ZnO-NPs (0 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, and 100 ppm) and two tomato varieties (MARDI Tomato 1 and MARDI Tomato 3). The experiment utilized a split-plot design with four replications. The results indicated that the application of 100 ppm ZnO-NPs produced the maximum measures of plant growth and fruit quality, including the highest number of primary branches per plant (27.75), leaf area (27.80 cm²), photosynthetic rate (33.05 µmol/m²/s), stomatal conductance (1.01 mol/m²/s), fruit length (4.55 cm), fruit diameter (4.33 cm), number of fruits per plant (52.75), fruit yield (53.85 t/ha), ascorbic acid content (26.13 mg/100 g), zinc content in fruits (52.25 mg/kg), total zinc uptake (102.34 mg/plant), and a benefit-cost ratio of 3.39. Moreover, among the tested varieties, MT3 outperformed MT1. Therefore, a foliar application of 100 ppm ZnO-NPs is recommended as the optimal dose for tomato cultivation. This approach promotes healthier plants and superior fruit quality and supports more sustainable and productive agricultural practices while minimizing environmental harm. Additionally, further research is necessary to explore higher dosages of ZnO-NPs in tomato production to establish the best dose for optimizing output.

Boron (B) is an essential element for the production of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis); nevertheless, conventional soil or foliar applications frequently suffer from inadequate nutrient uptake and leaching. Nano-boron fertilizers offer a highly efficient alternative due to their small particle size and superior surface-to-volume ratio, which enhances cellular penetration. This study aimed to determine the optimal dose of a foliar application of boron nanoparticles (B-NPs) and to compare the effects of conventional boron (B) and boron nanoparticles on the growth, yield, quality, nutrient dynamics, and profitability of cauliflower. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with 5 treatments involving four concentrations of boron nanoparticles (0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm) and conventional boric acid@1 gL^- 1. Foliar sprays were applied at 30 and 45 days after transplanting. Foliar application of 200 ppm boron nanoparticles resulted in the highest fresh curd yield (50.2 t ha^- 1), which was 69.6% greater than that of the control and 23.3% greater than that of the conventional boron treatments. This improvement was driven by the superior curd size and an individual curd weight of 1761 g. The same treatment significantly enhanced the quality parameters, yielding the highest vitamin C content (46.9 mg/100 g), protein content (25.1%), and curd firmness (1.23 kgf). This dose also resulted in the highest total B uptake (0.299 kg ha^- 1), maximum agronomic efficiency (45.9 kg g^- 1), and apparent recovery efficiency of B (356%). Economically, the 200 ppm nanoboron application proved most viable, achieving the highest benefit‒cost ratio of 4.14. The results suggest that the foliar application of 200 ppm B nanoparticles can be used for sustainable cauliflower cultivation. However, this method is a highly effective and suitable approach for optimizing cauliflower productivity and quality in B-deficient environments.