Resumen
Salinity is an abiotic stress that is responsible for more than 50% of crop losses worldwide. Current strategies to overcome salinity in agriculture are limited to the use of genetically modified crops and chemicals including fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides; however these are costly and can be hazardous to human health and the environment. Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method, and they might serve as novel biostimulants. This study investigated for the first time the efficiency of ZnO NPs, synthesized from Agathosma betulina to mitigate salt stress in Sorghum bicolor. Hexagonal wurtzite ZnO NPs of about 27.5 nm, were obtained. Sorghum seeds were primed with ZnO NPs (5 and 10 mg/L), prior to planting on potting soil and treatment with high salt (400 mM NaCl). Salt significantly impaired growth by decreasing shoot lengths and fresh weights, causing severe deformation on the anatomical (epidermis and vascular bundle tissue) structure. Element distribution was also affected by salt which increased the Na+/K+ ratio (2.9). Salt also increased oxidative stress markers (reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde), enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX), proline, and soluble sugars. Priming with ZnO NPs stimulated the growth of salt-stressed sorghum plants, which was exhibited by improved shoot lengths, fresh weights, and a well-arranged anatomical structure, as well as a low Na+/K+ ratio (1.53 and 0.58) indicating an improved element distribution. FTIR spectra confirmed a reduction in the degradation of biomolecules correlated with reduced oxidative stress. This study strongly suggests the use of green-synthesized ZnO NPs from A. betulina as potential biostimulants to improve plant growth under abiotic stress.