Table 1.
Positive or no consequential effects of nanoparticles in food crops
| Nanoparticle | Particle size (nm) | Plant | Concentration (mg L−1) | Observed toxicity | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero valent Fe | - | Flax, Red clover, White clover, Meadow fescue | 100, 250, 500 | No effect on germination | (82) |
| Barley, Ryegrass | 100, 250 | No effect on germination | (82) | ||
| Al | Radish, Rape, Lettuce, Corn, Cucumber | 2000 | No effect on germination | (16) | |
| 1–100 | Red kidney beans, Ryegrass | 10, 100, 1000, 10000 | No observed toxicity | (55) | |
| - | Radish, Rape | 2000 | Improved root growth | (16) | |
| Ag | 20 | Flax | 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 | No effect on the germination | (82) |
| 2 | Cucumber, Lettuce | 62, 100, 116 | Low to zero toxicity | (18) | |
| Au | 10 | Cucumber, Lettuce | 62, 100, 116 | Positive effect on germination index | (18) |
| Si | - | Zucchini | 1000 | No effect on the germination | (52) |
| Cu | - | Lettuce | 0.013% (w/w) | No effect on the germination; improved shoot/root ratio | (84) |
| Dodecanethiol functionalized Au | - | Lettuce | 0.013% (w/w) | No effect on the germination; improved shoot/root ratio | (84) |
| Pd entrapped in Al(OH)2 matrix | - | Lettuce | 0.013–0.066% (w/w) | No effect on the germination; improved shoot/root ratio | (84) |
| 3-amino functionalized SiO2 | - | Lettuce | 0.013–0.066% (w/w) | No effect on the germination; improved shoot/root ratio | (84) |
| CeO2 | 7 | Corn, Alfalfa, Soybean | 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 | Significantly increased root and stem growth | (50) |
| <25 | Wheat | 100 | (30) | ||
| ZnO | 8 | Soybean | 500 | Increased root growth | (42) |
| Al2O3 | Radish, Rape, Ryegrass, Lettuce, Corn, Cucumber | 2000 | No effect on germination | (16) | |
| Fe3O4 | 20 | Pumkin | 500 | No toxic effect | (44) |
| 7 | Cucumber, Lettuce | 62, 100, 116 | Low to zero toxicity | (18) | |
| TiO2 | <100 | Wheat | 100 | (30) | |
| Nanoanatase (TiO2) | 4–6 | Spinach | 0.25% | Enhanced rca mRNA expressions (51%), protein levels (42%), activity of Rubisco activase, Rubisco carboxylation, the rate of photosynthetic carbon reaction, single plant dry weight, chlorophyll content | (91) |
| 5 | Spinach | 0.25% | Improved spinach growth related to N2 fixation by TiO2 | (92) | |
| 5 | Spinach | 0.25% | Improved light absorbance, transformation from light energy to electron energy, and active chemical energy, and promoted carbon dioxide assimilation | (93) | |
| Rutile (TiO2) | - | Spinach (naturally aged) | 0.25–4% | Increased germination and germination and vigor indexes, plant dry weight, chlorophyll formation, ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity, photosynthetic rate | (86) |
| - | Spinach | 0.25–4% | Promoted photosynthesis, the rate of evolution of oxygen in the chloroplasts was accelerated | (87) | |
| Ni(OH)2 | 8.7 | Mesquite | 2 | No effect | (22) |
| Mixture of SiO2/TiO2 | Soybean | Increased germination and shoot growth Increased nitrate reductase activity Increased absorption and utilization of water/fertilizer Enhanced antioxidant system |
(85) | ||
| Mixture of Au/Cu | - | Lettuce | 0.013% (w/w) | No effect on the germination; improved shoot/root ratio | (84) |
| Multi-wallled carbon nanotube | - | Tomato | 10–40 | Significant increase in germination rate, fresh biomass, and length of stem; significantly enhanced moisture content inside tomato seeds | (29) |
| - | Radish, Rape, Ryegrass, Lettuce, Corn, Cucumber | 2000 | No effect on germination | (16) | |
| - | Ryegrass | 2000 | Increased root length | (16) | |
| - | Zucchini | No effect on the germination | (52) | ||
| internal dimension: 110–170 | Wheat | 100 | No significant effect on root or shoot growth | (30) | |
| Single-wallled carbon nanotube | 8 | Onion, Cucumber | 104, 315, 1750 | Significantly increased root length | (34) |
| 8 | Cabbage, Carrot, Lettuce | 104, 315, 1750 | No effect | (34) | |
| Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube | 8 | Cabbage, Carrot, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce | 9, 56, 315, 1750 | No effect | (34) |