Impact of green FeO, ZnO and Ag nanoparticles on germination rate in Capsicum Annuum seeds

Abstract

Currently, the challenge of developing innovative and environmentally friendly strategies has led prominent research centers and scientists to design alternatives that not only drive economic growth but also continuously improve productivity in agriculture, a crucial source of global revenue. For this reason, this research focuses on testing an experimental design of environmentally synthesized FeO, ZnO, and Ag nanoparticles applied to the germination process of Capsicum Annuum seeds, evaluating their impact over several days. To comprehend this study, two germination assays were conducted, using around 10 Petri dishes in each, each containing 10 seeds of the mentioned species. These assays were assessed over a period of 9 days. Regarding the concentrations of nanofertilizers, three concentrations (C1, C2, and C3) were selected for each synthesized element based on relevant background. The results showed that, in the first assay, higher germination was observed in the concentrations of FeO and ZnO, but this trend decreased in the concentrations of Ag, where values were initially low and then null, indicating a negative bioaccumulation of substrates in the seeds. Despite not achieving a significant difference in germination percentage compared to the control group, these results will serve as a knowledge source for future applications, whether in plate seeding for germination or in in vitro applications of Capsicum species emergence.