Biofortification with nanoparticles and zinc nitrate plus chitosan in green beans: effects on yield and mineral content

Abstract

Approximately 33% of the world's population is affected by Zinc (Zn) deficiency, making it the fifth leading cause of human disease and mortality. An innovative strategy to this problem in the food diet is biofortification. Therefore, the use of nanotechnology emerges as a possible way to achieve the optimal development of plants in a sustainable and precise way. The objective of the present study was to increase the Zn content in bean plants cv. ‘Strike’, through the application of nanoparticles versus Zn nitrate plus chitosan. Two sources of Zn were applied via foliar: Zn nanoparticles and Zn nitrate at doses of 0, 25, 50 and 100 ppm with and without chitosan. The results indicate that the application of Zn favours the biofortification process, finding increases for all the treatments used. The treatments that stood out were Zn nitrate plus chitosan at 50 and 100 ppm, which increased the Zn content in fruits by more than 110%. The application of Zn nanoparticles at 25 ppm and Zn nitrate at 50 ppm favoured biomass accumulation and production. Furthermore, the addition of chitosan helped biomass and yield, especially when combined with Zn nitrate. Finally, indicate that a greater number of studies are required regarding the use of nanoparticles and chitosan in horticulture to determine with certainty their effect on the physiology and nutrition of plants.

Keywords

• biofortification
• bioregulators
• nanofertilizers
• Phaseolus vulgaris
• zinc