Silicon nanoparticles in sustainable agriculture: synthesis, absorption, and plant stress alleviation

Guochao Yan; Qingying Huang; Shuaijing Zhao; Yunmin Xu; Yong He; Miroslav Nikolic; Nina Nikolic; Yongchao Liang; Zhujun Zhu

doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1393458

Silicon nanoparticles in sustainable agriculture: synthesis, absorption, and plant stress alleviation

Front Plant Sci. 2024 Mar 28:15:1393458. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1393458. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Guochao Yan^#^{1

2

3}, Qingying Huang^#¹, Shuaijing Zhao¹, Yunmin Xu^{1

2

3}, Yong He^{1

2

3}, Miroslav Nikolic⁴, Nina Nikolic⁴, Yongchao Liang⁵, Zhujun Zhu^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China.
² Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety Control for Subtropical Fruit and Vegetable of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China.
³ Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁵ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Silicon (Si) is a widely recognized beneficial element in plants. With the emergence of nanotechnology in agriculture, silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) demonstrate promising applicability in sustainable agriculture. Particularly, the application of SiNPs has proven to be a high-efficiency and cost-effective strategy for protecting plant against various biotic and abiotic stresses such as insect pests, pathogen diseases, metal stress, drought stress, and salt stress. To date, rapid progress has been made in unveiling the multiple functions and related mechanisms of SiNPs in promoting the sustainability of agricultural production in the recent decade, while a comprehensive summary is still lacking. Here, the review provides an up-to-date overview of the synthesis, uptake and translocation, and application of SiNPs in alleviating stresses aiming for the reasonable usage of SiNPs in nano-enabled agriculture. The major points are listed as following: (1) SiNPs can be synthesized by using physical, chemical, and biological (green synthesis) approaches, while green synthesis using agricultural wastes as raw materials is more suitable for large-scale production and recycling agriculture. (2) The uptake and translocation of SiNPs in plants differs significantly from that of Si, which is determined by plant factors and the properties of SiNPs. (3) Under stressful conditions, SiNPs can regulate plant stress acclimation at morphological, physiological, and molecular levels as growth stimulator; as well as deliver pesticides and plant growth regulating chemicals as nanocarrier, thereby enhancing plant growth and yield. (4) Several key issues deserve further investigation including effective approaches of SiNPs synthesis and modification, molecular basis of SiNPs-induced plant stress resistance, and systematic effects of SiNPs on agricultural ecosystem.

Keywords: biotic and abiotic stress; nanocarrier; plant growth stimulator; silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs); sustainable agriculture; synthesis; uptake and translocation.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LQ22C150006 and LZ20C150001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32202583), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (226-2023-00077).