Drought stress is one of the main factors limiting seed germination and seedling establishment in field crops such as jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Nanopriming, a seed improvement technique using nanoparticle suspensions, has emerged as a sustainable approach to improving water use efficiency during the early stages of development. This study evaluated the effects of zinc oxide (ZnO, 100 mg·L⁻¹), silicon dioxide (SiO₂, 10 mg·L⁻¹), and their combination (ZnO + SiO₂), stabilized with chitosan, on the germination yield and drought tolerance of jalapeño seeds under mannitol-induced water stress (0%, 15%, and 30%). Compared to the hydroprimed control (T1), nanoparticle treatments consistently improved seed yield. Priming with ZnO (T2) increased the germination percentage by up to 25%, priming with SiO₂ (T3) improved the germination rate by 34%, and the combined treatment (T4: ZnO + SiO₂) improved the fresh weight of the seedlings by 40%. Proline accumulation increased 7.5 times, antioxidant capacity (DPPH) increased 6.5 times, and total phenol content increased 4.8 times in the combined treatment. Flavonoid levels also showed notable increases, suggesting enhanced antioxidant defense. These results clearly demonstrate the superior efficacy of nanoparticle pretreatment compared to conventional hydraulic pretreatment, especially under drought conditions. Multivariate analysis further highlighted the synergistic role of ZnO and SiO₂ in improving osmolite accumulation, antioxidant activity, and water use efficiency. Nanopriming with ZnO and SiO₂ offers a promising, economical, and scalable strategy to improve germination, early growth, and drought resistance in jalapeño pepper cultivation under semi-arid conditions.

The jalapeño pepper is a vegetable of great economic importance worldwide. However, low germination efficiency, weak seedlings, and a high mortality rate during transplant compromise the viability and sustainability of the crop. An innovative solution is the nanopriming technique, an emerging and novel technology, which involves the imbibition of seeds for a specific period using mineral nanoparticles. The addition of micronutrients such as zinc and molybdenum has been used in seed germination and early seedling development due to their crucial roles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using zinc–molybdenum nanopriming in jalapeño pepper on germination and early growth. The results showed that applying nanopriming (124–10 mg L⁻¹ of zinc–molybdenum) promotes the effectiveness on the imbibition and germination of jalapeño pepper seeds, resulting in heavier seeds with a better initial absorption. This method not only improves germination rates and seedling vigor, but also points towards more sustainable and efficient agriculture. Building on these findings, the zinc–molybdenum nanopriming method could potentially transform jalapeño pepper cultivation by enhancing seed quality and resilience. Nanopriming could help increase crop yields and minimize reliance on chemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides, which might reduce production costs and environmental impact.

Nitrogen is essential for plants’ growth, yield, and crop quality, and its deficiency limits food production worldwide. In addition, excessive fertilization and inefficient use of N can increase production costs and cause environmental problems. A possible solution to this problem is the application of biofertilizers, which improve N assimilation and increase biomass and yield. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of the application of a combination of green and red algae (Ulva lactuca and Solieria spp.), Rhizobium sp., Trichoderma asperellum, and the combination of the above three biofertilizers on N assimilation. A completely randomized design was performed, with 10 plants per treatment and five treatments: T1 = control; T2 = algal extracts; T3 = Rhizobium sp.; T4 = T. asperellum; T5 = T2 + T3 + T4. Our analyses showed that the biofertilizers’ application was better than the control. The application of Rhizobium sp. had the best performance amongst all of the biofertilizers, with the highest nitrate reductase activity in maize leaves, which enhanced photosynthesis, increasing biomass and yield. The use of Rhizobium sp. showed increases in biomass (13.4%) and yield (11.82%) compared to the control. This research shows that biofertilizers can be a key component for sustainable agricultural practices.

The jalapeño pepper is a vegetable of great economic importance worldwide. However, low germination efficiency, weak seedlings, and a high mortality rate during transplant compromise the viability and sustainability of the crop. An innovative solution is the nanopriming tech-nique, an emerging and novel technology, which involves the imbibition of seeds for a specific period using mineral nanoparticles. The addition of micronutrients such as Zinc and Molyb-denum has been used in seed germination and early seedling development due to their crucial roles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using Zinc-Molybdenum nano-priming in Jalapeño Pepper on germination and early growth. The results showed that applying nanopriming 124-10 mg L−1 of Zinc-Molybdenum promotes effectiveness on the imbibition and germination of jalapeño pepper seeds, resulting in heavier seeds with better initial absorption. This method not only improves germination rates and seedling vigor but also points towards more sustainable and efficient agriculture. Building on these findings, the Zinc-Molybdenum nanopriming method could potentially transform jalapeño pepper cultivation by enhancing seed quality and resilience. This could lead to more robust crop yields and reduce the need for chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, thus lowering production costs and environ-mental impact.

Nanopriming with metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising strategy for improving seedling quality in horticultural crops. This study evaluated the effects of hydropriming, ZnO, SiO₂, ZnO + SiO₂, a ZnMo nanofertilizer, and two commercial biostimulants (Osmoplant and Codasil) on the early development of Capsicum annuum L. seedlings. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits, including biomass, stem architecture, number of leaves, chlorophylls, carotenoids, SPAD index, and nitrate reductase (NR) activity, were measured under controlled conditions. The ZnO and ZnO + SiO₂ treatments promoted stronger root growth, higher pigment content, and higher NR activity. SiO₂ alone and ZnMo showed intermediate improvements, while Osmoplant and Codasil had more limited effects. Multivariate analyses provided complementary information: heat maps revealed correlations between traits, PCA differentiated treatment responses, and radar charts integrated performance profiles. Overall, the results provide promising evidence that seed nanopriming, particularly with ZnO and ZnO + SiO₂, improves seedling vigor and transplant potential in jalapeño peppers.

Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, yield and crop quality, and its deficiency limits food production worldwide. In addition, excessive fertilization and inefficient use of N can increase production costs and cause environmental problems. A possible solution to this problem is the application of biofertilizers, which improve N assimilation and enhance biomass and yield. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of the application of the combination of green and red algal (Ulva lactuca, Solieria spp.), Rhizobium sp., Trichoderma asperel-lum and the combination of the above three biofertilizers on N assimilation. A completely ran-domized design was carried out with 10 plants per treatment and five treatments: T1=control; T2=algal extracts; T3=Rhizobium sp.; T4=T. asperellum; T5=T2+T3+T4. Analyses showed that the Rhi-zobium sp. treatment resulted in higher nitrate reductase enzyme activity quantified in maize leaves, which possibly favored more efficient phosphosynthetic activity, reflecting higher bio-mass accumulation and increased yield. The use of Rhizobium sp. showed increases in biomass (13.4%), yield (11.82%), SPAD values (12%), total chlorophyll (18.4%), carotenoids (13.6%), num-ber of leaves (11.4%) and plant height (11.27%) compared to the control. This results in nitrogen assimilation promises to be a key mechanism for sustainable agricultural practices in the future.