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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/NMsB/37
Exogenously applied zinc sulfide nanoparticles enhanced salt tolerance in lentil (Lens
culinaris Medik.)

Khadija Batool1, Rabia Naz1*, Muhammad Shahid2
1Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad
2Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

Correspondence: rabia.naz@comsats.edu.pk

Abstract

Soil salinity disrupts the physiological and biochemical processes of crop plants and ultimately
leads to compromising future food security. Lens culinaris, is an edible legume and essential
food crop which is being drastically affected by salt stress. Objective of this study was to
investigate the exogenously applied zinc sulfide nanoparticles (nZnS at 0.5 and 1%) on growth,
physiological, biochemical and yield-related attributes of lentil under 50 mM (moderate
salinity) and 100 mM NaCl stress (severe salinity). Salinity stress severely inhibited the lentil
plant growth and yield by decreasing the number of branches, pods, seeds, seed yield and
biomass per plant and, significantly reduced the water content, total protein and photosynthetic
pigments. Salt stress further induced osmotic and oxidative damage, as indicated by higher
proline content, electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide and malonaldehyde (MDA) contents,
by interrupting the activities of antioxidant enzymes and enhancing the accumulation of toxic
levels of Na+. However, Plants supplemented with nZnS alleviated the salt-induced osmotic
and oxidative damage in lentil by, maintaining ion homeostasis, reducing Na+ accumulation
and increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, APX, SOD, PPO and POD). The
same treatment improved lentil growth, yield, photosynthetic pigment and protein contents,
indicating an mitigative role of nZnS in lentil seedlings grown under salt stress. Thus, the
exogenous application of nZnS could be developed as a useful strategy for improving the
performance of lentil plants in salinity-prone environments.

Keywords: salt stress, ROS, osmotic stress, antioxidant defense system, ion homeostasis

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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