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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/NMsB/16
Effect of four metal oxide nanoparticles on microbial activity, nutrient availability and
extracellular enzyme activities in two soils of varying texture

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Taiba Farheen , Sabir Hussain , Faisal Mahmood , Muhammad Shahid , Tanvir Shahzad
1 Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Government College University
Faisalabad, Allama Iqbal Road, 38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan
2 Department of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad,
Allama Iqbal Road, 38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan
Correspondence: tanvirshahzad@gcuf.edu.pk
Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) are being using and synthesized at an exceptional rate these days. They
are being added to agricultural soils either advertently through application of NPs-loaded
pesticides and fertilizers or inadvertently through application of sewage sludge and biosolids.
Consequently, they may pose a serious toxic effect on soil functions related to soil fertility and
nutrient cycling. I studied the effect of two metal oxide NPs i.e. zinc oxide (nZnO) and copper
oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) on microbial processes related to soil organic matter cycling in a
clay loam and a sandy loam soil.I hypothesized that both the NPs would have toxic effect on
some or all the soil processes. Moreover, I also hypothesized that the soil texture would modify
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the toxic effect of NPs. Both soils were amended with 100 or 1000 mg kg soil of either of the
two NPs and incubated at 25°C for 57 days. It was observed that both the NPs significantly
diminished the soil respiration rate in both the soils. However, the decrease in soil respiration
rate was over a longer period for the nCuO than the nZnO. Moreover, the soil texture
significantly modified this response where higher decrease was found in clay loam than the
sandy loam soil. The nZnO induced more decrease in soil pH in clay loam soil than the nCuO.
Soil texture strongly determined the effect of NPs in terms of pH, where it was found that the
NPs induced no change in soil pH in the sandy loam soil. Both the NPs significantly decreased
the activities of four soil enzymes that were measured i.e. β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase,
leucine aminopeptidase and chitinase. The soil texture and NPs type significantly differed in
terms of reducing the activities of the four extracellular enzymes.
Keywords: enzyme; fertilizers; NPs

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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