Size Effects of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on Boosting Soybean Growth via Differentially Modulating Nitrogen Assimilation
Yaozu Guo,
Hao Li,
Yi Hao,
Heping Shang,
Weili Jia,
Anqi Liang,
Xinxin Xu,
Chunyang Li,
Chuanxin Ma
Affiliations
Yaozu Guo
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Hao Li
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yi Hao
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Heping Shang
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Weili Jia
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, SCNU Environmental Research Institute, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Anqi Liang
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xinxin Xu
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Chunyang Li
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Chuanxin Ma
Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Nanoscale agrochemicals have been widely used in sustainable agriculture and may potentially affect the nitrogen fixation process in legume crops. The present study investigated the size-effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) on nitrogen assimilation in soybean (G. max (L.) Merrill) plants, which were treated with different sizes (20 and 50 nm) of CuO NPs at low use doses (1 and 10 mg/kg) for 21 days under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that 50 nm CuO NPs significantly increased the fresh biomass more than 20 nm CuO NPs achieved at 10 mg/kg. The activities of N assimilation-associated enzymes and the contents of nitrogenous compounds, including nitrates, proteins, and amino acids, in soybean tissues were greatly increased across all the CuO NP treatments. The use doses of two sizes of CuO NPs had no impact on the Cu contents in shoots and roots but indeed increased the Cu contents in soils in a dose-dependent fashion. Overall, our findings demonstrated that both 20 and 50 nm CuO NPs could positively alter soybean growth and boost N assimilation, furthering our understanding that the application of nanoscale micro-nutrient-related agrochemicals at an optimal size and dose will greatly contribute to increasing the yield and quality of crops.
