Iron oxide nanoparticles enhance alkaline stress resilience in bell pepper by modulating photosynthetic capacity, membrane integrity, carbohydrate metabolism, and cellular antioxidant defense.

ABSTRACT: Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a commercially important and nutritionally rich vegetable crop in the Solanaceae family. Alkaline stress (AS) can disrupt growth, metabolism, and, particularly, nutritional quality. This study aims to evaluate the role of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeNP) in mitigating AS and enhancing plant growth and metabolic functions by conducting experiments under controlled greenhouse conditions with four main treatments: AS (irrigating plants with alkaline salts mixture solution); FeNP (foliar application of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles at 100 mg L^-¹); AS + FeNP (integrated treatment of AS and FeNP); and CK (control). The results clearly demonstrated that the AS treatment negatively affects plant biomass, photosynthetic attributes, membrane

SUBMITTER: Shahzad R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11808985 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature