Journal Article

Synergistic effects of Vachellia nilotica-derived zinc oxide nanoparticles and melatonin on drought tolerance in Fragaria × ananassa

Anwar, Tauseef, Soufan, Walid, Naseem, Muhammad Tahir, Qureshi, Huma, Ullah, Naimat, Safdar, Alia, Siddiqi, Ejaz Hussain

2025

Overview

This study investigates the synergistic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and melatonin (MT) on Fragaria × ananassa (strawberry) plants under drought stress, focusing on growth, fruit biomass, and stress tolerance. ZnO NPs enhance nutrient uptake and stress resistance, while MT regulates growth hormones and boosts photosynthetic efficiency. Seven treatments were evaluated: T1 (no stress, 0.5 g/L ZnO NPs + 0.1 g/L MT), T2 (no stress, 0.5 g/L ZnO NPs), T3 (no stress, 0.1 g/L MT), T4 (drought stress, no application), T5 (drought stress, 0.5 g/L ZnO NPs + 0.1 g/L MT), T6 (drought stress, 0.5 g/L ZnO NPs), and T7 (drought stress, 0.1 g/L MT). Growth and stress parameters included shoot/root length, fruit biomass, bud number, chlorophyll content, oxidative stress markers (H₂O₂, MDA), and antioxidant enzyme activities in the leaves of Fragaria × ananassa . The combined treatment (ZnO NPs + MT) consistently outperformed others, achieving the highest growth metrics under both conditions: shoot length (22.33 ± 1.53 cm non-stress, 15.00 ± 1.53 cm drought), root length (18.67 ± 1.53 cm non-stress, 12.00 ± 1.53 cm drought), and fruit biomass (9.55 ± 0.31 g non-stress, 5.02 ± 0.23 g drought). Bud formation peaked at 3.33 ± 0.58 buds/plant non-stress and 2.00 ± 0.00 buds/plant drought. Under drought, the combined treatment also enhanced chlorophyll content (2.47 ± 0.20 mg/g FW) and significantly reduced H₂O₂ (28.67 ± 2.52 µmol/g FW) and MDA (4.21 ± 0.10 µmol/g FW) levels, while maximizing antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD: 121.67 ± 7.64 U/g FW, POD: 206.33 ± 14.84 U/g FW, CAT: 48.00 ± 3.61 U/g FW). These findings highlight the combined application of ZnO NPs and MT as a promising strategy to enhance growth and stress tolerance in strawberry plants, warranting further research on optimized concentrations, delivery methods, and molecular mechanisms.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Abiotic stress / Acacia / Agriculture / antioxidant enzymes / Antioxidants / Antioxidants - metabolism / Biomass / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Botanical research / Buds / Chlorophyll / Chlorophyll - metabolism / Combined treatment / Crops / Drought / Drought Resistance / Drought stress / drought tolerance / Droughts / Electrolytes / Environmental aspects / Enzymatic activity / Enzymes / Fragaria - drug effects / Fragaria - growth & development / Fragaria - physiology / Fragaria ananassa / Fruit - drug effects / Fruit - growth & development / Fruits / Growth enhancement / Growth hormones / Hardiness / Irrigation / Leaves / Life Sciences / Melatonin / Melatonin - pharmacology / Molecular modelling / Nanoparticles / Nutrient uptake / Oxidative stress / Oxidative Stress - drug effects / photosynthesis / Physiological aspects / Physiology / Plant Leaves - drug effects / Plant Sciences / Plants / Potassium / Seeds / Strawberries / Strawberry plants / stress tolerance / Synergistic effect / Tree Biology / Vachellia / water stress / Zinc oxide / Zinc Oxide - pharmacology / Zinc oxides / ZnO nanoparticles