Effect of nanoparticle on growth, biochemical and anatomical characteristics of moringa plant (Moringa oleifera L.) under salinity stress condition

Two pot experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of the Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University (Assiut branch), Assiut, Egypt, during two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019. The main aim of this study was to find out the effect of both of foliar application with some growth promoters (using nanotechnology) i.e., zinc, iron, copper oxide nanoparticles at 50, 100 and 150 mgl-1 of each and silica nanoparticles at 20, 40 and 60 mgl-1 as well as salinity stress level of irrigation water at 9000 mgl-1 individually and their interactions on growth, biochemical and anatomical characteristics of Moringa oliefera L. plant. The results showed that individually salinity stress level of irrigation water at 9000 mgl-1 decreased all studied vegetative growth parameters of moringa plant i.e., plant height (cm), stem diameter (cm), leaves number plant-1, leaf area plant-1 as well as root, stem and leaves dry weights plant-1 compared with the control. The same trend was obtained in photosynthetic pigments content (total chlorophyll) as well as the studied anatomical characteristics of root section (i.e., root diameter of V.C and length of xylem arch), stem section (i.e., stem diameter, Ø of V.C, length of V.B in the stem) and Leaf blade section (i.e., upper epidermis thickness, lower epidermis thickness and mesophyll tissue for leaflet) at 50 days of Moringa oliefera leaves compared with unstressed plant. On other hand, salinity stress level at 9000 mgl-1 resulted in increasing antioxidant activity as well as total phenolic contents at 60 days of Moringa oliefera leaves compared with unstressed plant. Data also indicated that the individually foliar application treatments with Zinc, Iron, Copper oxide nanoparticles at 50, 100, 150 of each and Silica at 20, 40, 60 mgl-1 nanoparticles increased studied vegetative growth as well as anatomical characteristics, chemical compositions, photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll), antioxidants activity and total phenolic contents of moringa plant compared with the control treatment. In this respect, Silica nanoparticles at 60 mgl-1 followed by zinc and iron oxide at 150 mgl-1 nanoparticles of each were the most effective treatments, respectively. Finally , Based on these results, it could be concluded that the foliar application with nanoparticles gave the highest Valois of morphological, chemical compositions and anatomical characteristics its that reduce the harmful effects of salinity stress of Moringa oliefera L. plant specially at silica 60 mgl-1,. Data recorded that this results using it under the same field conditions (Assiut governorate, Egypt).