Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are considered potential agents for agriculture as fertilizers and growth enhancers. However, their action spectrum differs strongly, depending on the type of NP, its concentrations, and plant species per se, ranging from growth stimulation to toxicity. This work aimed to investigate effects of iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) NPs on growth, photosynthesis, respiration, antioxidant activity, and leaf mineral content of wheat plants. Wheat seeds were treated with NP for 3 h and plants were grown in the soil at two light intensities, 120 and 300 μmol (photons) m⁻²·s⁻¹, followed by physiological assessment at several time points. High NP treatment (200 and 500 mg·L⁻¹) enhanced plant growth, photosynthesis and respiration, as well as increasing the content of photosynthetic pigments in leaves. This effect depended on both the light intensity during plant growth and the age of the plants. Regardless of concentration and light intensity, an effect of NPs on the primary photochemical processes was not observed. Seed treatment with NP also led to increased activity of ascorbate peroxidase and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content in roots and leaves. Treatment with Fe₃O₄ also led to noticeable increases in the leaf Fe, P, and K content. It is concluded that iron oxide (Fe₃O₄)-based NP could enhance plant growth by improving photosynthetic performance and the availability of Fe and P.

The review considers the role of H2O2, 1O2, O2·−, and the products of lipid peroxidation as signaling molecules in the processes of stress signal transduction in plants. The data concerning possible...

The increase in industrialization has led to an exponential increase in heavy metal (HM) soil contamination, which poses a serious threat to public health and ecosystem stability. This review emphasizes the urgent need to develop innovative technologies for the environmental remediation of intensive anthropogenic pollution. Phytoremediation is a sustainable and cost-effective approach for the detoxification of contaminated soils using various plant species. This review discusses in detail the basic principles of phytoremediation and emphasizes its ecological advantages over other methods for cleaning contaminated areas and its technical viability. Much attention has been given to the selection of hyperaccumulator plants for phytoremediation that can grow on heavy metal-contaminated soils, and the biochemical mechanisms that allow these plants to isolate, detoxify, and accumulate heavy metals are discussed in detail. The novelty of our study lies in reviewing the mechanisms of plant–microorganism interactions that greatly enhance the efficiency of phytoremediation as well as in discussing genetic modifications that could revolutionize the cleanup of contaminated soils. Moreover, this manuscript discusses potential applications of phytoremediation beyond soil detoxification, including its role in bioenergy production and biodiversity restoration in degraded habitats. This review concludes by listing the serious problems that result from anthropogenic environmental pollution that future generations still need to overcome and suggests promising research directions in which the integration of nano- and biotechnology will play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of phytoremediation. These contributions are critical for environmental scientists, policy makers, and practitioners seeking to utilize phytoremediation to maintain the ecological stability of the environment and its restoration.

Soil salinisation is one of the main abiotic stresses decreasing crop productivity. Here, we show that the plant treatment with iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) may be a promising solution for reducing the negative impact of soil salinity on plant performance. For this purpose, effects of the NPs on growth, photosynthesis, pro-/antioxidant, redox balance and the content of mineral elements in 19-day-old wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants under soil salinity were studied. Seed treatment with NPs (200 and 500 mg L-1) enhanced growth and photosynthetic rate in leaves. Moderate salinity stress (150 mM NaCl) led to a decrease in plant biomass as well as the rate of photosynthesis and PSII activity; leaf photosynthetic characteristics were also suppressed by lower (75 mM NaCl) salinity treatment. However, seed pre-treatment with the NPs partially eliminated the negative effect of the salt on growth, PSII activity and photosynthesis. Also, we observed a decrease in the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and an increase in ascorbate and total peroxidase activity in the plant leaves upon combined treatment with NaCl and the NPs compared with treatment with NaCl alone. The combined treatment with the NPs and salinity also led to a noticeable increase in the content of Fe and Mn in the shoot. It was concluded that Fe3O4 NPs can enhance plant growth by improving photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant balance and the availability of iron and manganese ions, under conditions of soil salinisation.

The effects of high-intensity light on the pigment content, photosynthetic rate, and fluorescence parameters of photosystem II in high-pigment tomato mutants (hp 3005) and low-pigment mutants (lp 3617) were investigated. This study also evaluated the dry weight percentage of low molecular weight antioxidant capacity, expression patterns of some photoreceptor-regulated genes, and structural aspects of leaf mesophyll cells. The 3005 mutant displayed increased levels of photosynthetic pigments and anthocyanins, whereas the 3617 mutant demonstrated a heightened content of ultraviolet-absorbing pigments. The photosynthetic rate, photosystem II activity, antioxidant capacity, and carotenoid content were most pronounced in the high-pigment mutant after 72 h exposure to intense light. This mutant also exhibited an increase in leaf thickness and water content when exposed to high-intensity light, suggesting superior physiological adaptability and reduced photoinhibition. Our findings indicate that the enhanced adaptability of the high-pigment mutant might be attributed to increased flavonoid and carotenoid contents, leading to augmented expression of key genes associated with pigment synthesis and light regulation.