Register      Login
Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > FP > FP23164
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 51(4)

Non-toxic orange carbon dots stimulate photosynthesis and CO2 assimilation in hydroponically cultivated green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Ivana Milenković https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7957-4485 A * , Milan Borišev B , Yiqun Zhou C , Sladjana Z. Spasić https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1098-371X A D , Dunja Spasić E , Roger M. Leblanc C and Ksenija Radotić https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9770-0788 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

B Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.

C Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.

D Singidunum University, Danijelova 32, Belgrade 11010, Serbia.

E Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

* Correspondence to: ivana.milenkovic@imsi.rs, xenia@imsi.rs

Handling Editor: Suleyman Allakhverdiev

Functional Plant Biology 51, FP23164 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP23164
Submitted: 26 July 2023  Accepted: 13 March 2024  Published: 2 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Continuous increasing leaf photosynthesis may enhance plant yield. As an evolutionary property, plants use less photosynthetic capacity than is theoretically possible. Plant nanobionics is a bioengineering field that improves plant functions using nanoparticles. We applied orange carbon dots (o-CDs) onto the foliage of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) grown in hydroponics to improve their photosynthetic performance and CO2 assimilation. Photosynthesis parameters, photosynthetic pigments content, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidative activity (TAA) were measured. Results show that photosynthetic pigments remained unchanged, while photosynthesis was improved. Both o-CDs concentrations decreased TPC and TAA. The light response curve showed higher CO2 assimilation at both o-CDs concentrations, particularly at lower light intensity. Correlation analysis confirmed increased CO2 binding and assimilation at 1 mg L−1. This study demonstrated the potential of using o-CDs as a safe biostimulator through photosynthesis increase and CO2 assimilation without toxic effects on plants. This may stimulate yield increase that paves the way for their agricultural application.

Keywords: antioxidative activity, carbon dots, CO2 assimilation, green beans, hydroponics, light response curve, phenolic content, photosynthesis.

References

Arshad H, Majid A, Khan MAU (2022) Carbon quantum dots. In ‘Quantum dots for plant systems. Nanotechnology in the Life Sciences’. (Eds A Majid, H Arshad, MAU Khan) pp. 75–102. (Springer: Cham, Switzerland) Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10216-5_4

Cano A, Hernández-Ruíz J, García-Cánovas F, Acosta M, Arnao MB (1998) An end-point method for estimation of the total antioxidant activity in plant material. Phytochemical Analysis: An International Journal of Plant Chemical and Biochemical Techniques 9, 196-202.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Dučić T, Milenković I, Mutavdžić D, Nikolić M, de Yuso MVM, Vučinić Ž, Algarra M, Radotić K (2021) Estimation of carbon dots amelioration of copper toxicity in maize studied by synchrotron radiation-FTIR. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 204, 111828.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Feng P, Geng B, Cheng Z, Liao X, Pan D, Huang J (2019) Graphene quantum dots-induced physiological and biochemical responses in mung bean and tomato seedlings. Brazilian Journal of Botany 42, 29-41.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Feregrino-Perez AA, Magaña-López E, Guzmán C, Esquivel K (2018) A general overview of the benefits and possible negative effects of the nanotechnology in horticulture. Scientia Horticulturae 238, 126-137.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Gohari G, Panahirad S, Sepehri N, Akbari A, Zahedi SM, Jafari H, Dadpour MR, Fotopoulos V (2021) Enhanced tolerance to salinity stress in grapevine plants through application of carbon quantum dots functionalized by proline. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28, 42877-42890.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Hoagland DR, Arnon DI (1938) The water culture method for growing plants without soil. Circular. California Agricultural Experiment Station 347, 32.
| Google Scholar |

Kasote DM, Katyare SS, Hegde MV, Bae H (2015) Significance of antioxidant potential of plants and its relevance to therapeutic applications. International Journal of Biological Sciences 11, 982-991.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Khatri K, Rathore MS (2018) Plant nanobionics and its applications for developing plants with improved photosynthetic capacity. In ‘Photosynthesis: from its evolution to future improvements in photosynthetic efficiency using nanomaterials’. (Eds JCG Cañedo, GLL Lizárraga) pp. 95–112. (IntechOpen)

Kubalt K (2016) The role of phenolic compounds in plant resistance. Biotechnology and Food Science 80, 97-108.
| Google Scholar |

Li W, Wu S, Zhang H, Zhang X, Zhuang J, Hu C, Liu Y, Lei B, Ma L, Wang X (2018) Enhanced biological photosynthetic efficiency using light-harvesting engineering with dual-emissive carbon dots. Advanced Functional Materials 28, 1804004.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Li Y, Xu X, Wu Y, Zhuang J, Zhang X, Zhang H, Lei B, Hu C, Liu Y (2020a) A review on the effects of carbon dots in plant systems. Materials Chemistry Frontiers 4, 437-448.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Li Y, Gao J, Xu X, Wu Y, Zhuang J, Zhang X, Zhang H, Lei B, Zheng M, Liu Y, Hu C (2020b) Carbon dots as a protective agent alleviating abiotic stress on rice (Oryza sativa L.) through promoting nutrition assimilation and the defense system. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12, 33575-33585.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Li Y, Pan X, Xu X, Wu Y, Zhuang J, Zhang X, Zhang H, Lei B, Hu C, Liu Y (2021) Carbon dots as light converter for plant photosynthesis: augmenting light coverage and quantum yield effect. Journal of Hazardous Materials 410, 124534.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Lichtenthaler HK, Wellburn AR (1983) Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents. Biochemical Society Transactions 11, 591-592.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Lobo F, de Barros MP, Dalmagro HJ, et al. (2013) Fitting net photosynthetic light-response curves with Microsoft Excel – a critical look at the models. Photosynthetica 51, 445-456.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Long SP, Zhu X-G, Naidu SL, Ort DR (2006) Can improvement in photosynthesis increase crop yields? Plant, Cell & Environment 29, 315-330.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Milenković I, Mitrović A, Algarra M, Lázaro-Martínez JM, Rodríguez-Castellón E, Maksimović V, Spasić SZ, Beškoski VP, Radotić K (2019) Interaction of carbohydrate coated cerium-oxide nanoparticles with wheat and pea: stress induction potential and effect on development. Plants 8, 478.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Milenković I, Borišev M, Zhou Y, Spasić SZ, Leblanc RM, Radotić K (2021) Photosynthesis enhancement in maize via nontoxic orange carbon dots. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 69, 5446-5451.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Milenković I, Zhou Y, Borišev M, Serafim LF, Chen J, ElMetwally AE, Spasić SZ, Algarra M, Martínez de Yuso MV, Prabhakar R, Leblanc RM, Radotić K (2024) Modeling of orange carbon dots-CO2 interaction and its effects on photosynthesis and productivity in maize and green beans. Journal of Environmental Informatics (in press).
| Google Scholar |

Singleton VL, Rossi JA, Jr (1965) Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 16, 144-158.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Swift TA, Oliver TAA, Galan MC, Whitney HM (2019) Functional nanomaterials to augment photosynthesis: evidence and considerations for their responsible use in agricultural applications. Interface Focus 9, 20180048.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Tan Z, She M, Chen Q, Liu L, Cai X, Huang Y, Xiang F (2022) Impact of dual-emissive carbon dots on growth and physiological indexes of cucumber seedlings. Gesunde Pflanzen 74, 695-704.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Wang Y, Hu A (2014) Carbon quantum dots: synthesis, properties and applications. Journal of Materials Chemistry C 2, 6921-6939.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Wang H, Zhang M, Song Y, Li H, Huang H, Shao M, Liu Y, Kang Z (2018) Carbon dots promote the growth and photosynthesis of mung bean sprouts. Carbon 136, 94-102.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Xiao L, Guo H, Wang S, Li J, Wang Y, Xing B (2019) Carbon dots alleviate the toxicity of cadmium ions (Cd2+) toward wheat seedlings. Environmental Science: Nano 6, 1493-1506.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Zhou Y, Sharma SK, Peng Z, Leblanc RM (2017) Polymers in carbon dots: a review. Polymers 9, 67.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Zhou Y, Mintz KJ, Oztan CY, Hettiarachchi SD, Peng Z, Seven ES, Liyanage PY, De La Torre S, Celik E, Leblanc RM (2018) Embedding carbon dots in superabsorbent polymers for additive manufacturing. Polymers 10, 921.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Zhou Y, Liyanage PY, Devadoss D, Guevara LRR, Cheng L, Graham RM, Chand HS, Al-Youbi AO, Bashammakh AS, El-Shahawi MS, Leblanc RM (2019) Nontoxic amphiphilic carbon dots as promising drug nanocarriers across the blood-brain barrier and inhibitors of β-amyloid. Nanoscale 11, 22387-22397.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Zhu J-K (2016) Abiotic stress signaling and responses in plants. Cell 167, 313-324.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |