Toxicity Study of Nanoselenium on Seed Germination, Bacterial Growth and Fish Survivability

Aim: The use of nanoparticles in agriculture has recently increased to sustain crop productivity. Therefore, the effect of nanoparticles on the different ecosystems must be quantified before their use. This study aimed to examine the toxicity potential of nanoselenium on the germination of sorghum seed, growth of soil microorganisms viz., Bacillus subtilis and Rhizobium species, and survival of zebrafish. We hypothesize that nanoselenium could be non-toxic to sorghum seed germination, bacillus and rhizobium growth, and zebrafish survival up to 20 mg L-1.

Study Design: Completely randomized design with four or five replications with respect to the experiments.

Place and duration of the Study: Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

Methodology: Sorghum seeds BTx 623 were soaked in different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg L-1) of nanoselenium for 24 h and then sown in Petri-dish to quantify germination potential and seedling growth. The growth medium of microorganisms was challenged from 0 to 20 mg L-1 of nanoselenium, and the growth of microorganisms was assessed. Similarly, the survival of zebrafish from 0 to 20 mg L-1 of nanoselenium was recorded.

Results: The results showed that nanoselenium up to 20 mg L-1 did not cause toxic effects on all organisms representing soil, water and terrestrial ecosystems.

Conclusion: Hence, this study concluded that nanoselenium up to 20 mg L-1 is not harmful to organisms representing soil, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.