Effect of ZnO Nanoparticles on Germination of Triticum aestivum Seeds

With the progression of nanotechnology, the use of nanoparticles in consumer products has increased dramatically. Because of their broad scale use, these nanomaterials can be expected to be present in the environment, raising concerns about their effects on the lives of plants and animals. Zinc oxide (ZnO), a nanomaterial, has specific surface area, high pore volume, low toxicity and long life‐span and thus is being used as promising material for cosmetics, antibacterial, chemical absorbents, polymer additives and catalysts. In this study ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using various techniques like X‐ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) and Ultra violet (UV) visible spectroscopy. Further, the effect of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) was tested on wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown in hydroponics media. It was observed that ZnO NPs, at 50 mg/L have positive effect on seed germination, number of roots, plant biomass and overall growth of roots, shoots and leaves. These findings could be further applied to the agricultural fields to enhance the crop production.