Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease

Madeeha Ansari; Shakil Ahmed; Asim Abbasi; Najwa A Hamad; Hayssam M Ali; Muhammad Tajammal Khan; Inzamam Ul Haq; Qamar Uz Zaman

doi:10.3390/microorganisms11040886

Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for the Enhanced Growth and Yield of Tomato against Early Blight Disease

Microorganisms. 2023 Mar 29;11(4):886. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11040886.

Authors

Madeeha Ansari¹, Shakil Ahmed¹, Asim Abbasi^{2

3}, Najwa A Hamad⁴, Hayssam M Ali⁵, Muhammad Tajammal Khan^{1

6}, Inzamam Ul Haq⁷, Qamar Uz Zaman⁸

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
² Department of Environmental Sciences, Kohsar University Murree, Murree 47150, Pakistan.
³ School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
⁴ Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, El-Beida P.O. Box 919, Libya.
⁵ Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Division of Science and Technology, Department of Botany, University of Education, Lahore 54770, Pakistan.
⁷ Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
⁸ Department of Environmental Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.

Abstract

Tomato plants are among the most widely cultivated and economically important crops worldwide. Farmers' major challenge when growing tomatoes is early blight disease caused by Alternaria solani, which results in significant yield losses. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained popularity recently due to their potential antifungal activity. The present study investigated the potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and their resistance against early blight disease. AgNPs were synthesized using leaf extract of the neem tree. Tomato plants treated with AgNPs showed a significant increase in plant height (30%), number of leaves, fresh weight (45%), and dry weight (40%) compared to the control plants. Moreover, the AgNP-treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in disease severity index (DSI) (73%) and disease incidence (DI) (69%) compared to the control plants. Tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm AgNPs reached their maximum levels of photosynthetic pigments and increased the accumulation of certain secondary metabolites compared to the control group. AgNP treatment improved stress tolerance in tomato plants as indicated by higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as PO (60%), PPO (65%), PAL (65.5%), SOD (65.3%), CAT (53.8%), and APX (73%). These results suggest that using green synthesized AgNPs is a promising approach for enhancing the growth and yield of tomato plants and protecting them against early blight disease. Overall, the findings demonstrate the potential of nanotechnology-based solutions for sustainable agriculture and food security.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability; disease management; plant growth; plant protection; silver nanoparticles; tomato.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP2023R123), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This work was also funded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan.