Work

Selenium nanoparticles enhance plant tolerance to salinity and protect from postharvest fungal infection

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In the current context of global human population growth, it is essential to improve food security in a sustainable manner due to the existing threats to our agricultural production system. Consequently, the development of novel alternatives to conventional phytochemicals is required. In this sense, nanotechnology is an emerging approach to improving crop productivity and maintaining the postharvest fruit quality. Selenium nanoparticles synthesized in this work, averaging 27 nm in diameter and featuring an amorphous structure, exhibited a high antioxidant capacity, with effective scavenging activity for reactive oxygen species at concentrations as low as 1 ppm. These SeNPs, applied to seedlings, enhanced plant growth and salinity tolerance. Furthermore, SeNPs exhibited antifungal activity against Botritis cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold in postharvest fruit. The low toxicity observed on C. elegans, used as animal model, lay the foundation for future research in the implementation of SeNPs in the agri-food industry.

Source: Plant Nano Biology

DOI: 10.1016/j.plana.2025.100217