Green-synthesized ZnO and MgO nanoparticles modulate physiology and antioxidant defense in maize under alkaline stress

Muhammad Iftikhar; Anis Ali Shah

doi:10.1071/FP25200

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Next Contents Vol 52(10)

Green-synthesized ZnO and MgO nanoparticles modulate physiology and antioxidant defense in maize under alkaline stress

Muhammad Iftikhar

^A ^* and Anis Ali Shah

^A ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore 54770, Pakistan.

^* Correspondence to: iftikharf12m38@gmail.com, anisalibot@gmail.com

Handling Editor: Honghong Wu

Functional Plant Biology 52, FP25200 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP25200

Submitted: 18 June 2025 Accepted: 4 September 2025 Published: 6 October 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Alkaline stress severely impairs the growth and yield of Zea mays L. by disrupting physiological and biochemical functions. This study evaluated green-synthesized ZnO and MgO nanoparticles (NPs), prepared using neem and licorice extracts, for mitigating alkaline stress. NPs were nanosized, crystalline, and functionalized by phytochemicals, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A pot experiment using NPs (25–200 ppm) under control and alkaline stress assessed morphological, physiological, biochemical, and ionic responses. Alkaline stress reduced root fresh and dry weight to 2.60 and 0.66 g (−59.6%, −31.0%), shoot fresh and dry weight to 2.60 and 0.38 g (−59.6%, −70.0%), and chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids to 1.31, 0.67, and 2.40 mg g⁻¹ (−62.4%, −54.7%, −62.8%), whereas it increased malondialdehyde (MDA) (244.6%), H₂O₂ (457.7%), and relative membrane permeability (RMP) (55.9%). The combined ZnO (50 ppm) and MgO (50 ppm) treatment improved chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids to 3.48, 1.48, and 6.45 mg g⁻¹ (165.4%, 120.3%, 168.5%), and total soluble protein (392.8%), total protein (301.0%), proline (105.5%), glutathione (35.6%), and ascorbic acid (44.2%). Antioxidant enzymes increased, with superoxide dismutase at 29.52 U mg⁻¹ (452.8%), peroxidase at 24.44 U mg⁻¹ (862%), and ascorbate peroxidase at 51.62 U mg⁻¹ (560%), whereas MDA, H₂O₂, and RMP (−78.1%) were reduced. High NP concentrations (ZnO 100 ppm + MgO 100 ppm) were toxic. Moderate ZnO and MgO NP doses enhanced resilience, yield stability, and sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: alkaline stress, antioxidant enzymes, MgONPs, plant physiology, stress markers, Zea mays L., ZnONPs.

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