Optimized zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticle applications increase soybean productivity and drought resiliency
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University
- 2Department of Public Health, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University
- 3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Computer Science Building, The University of Texas
- 4Department of Analytical Chemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)
Abstract
Climate-induced water stress is projected to hamper soybean yield and seed/grain quality globally, unless climate adaptive management practices are adopted. Soybean (Glycine max L.) was cultivated under field conditions using pots following randomized complete block design and subjected to well-watered or drought stress (40–50% water capacity). Plants were foliar-sprayed with 0–200 mg L−1 copper oxide (CuONPs) or zinc oxide (ZnONPs) nanoparticles, or with 400 mg L−1 of ionic Cu/Zn form. Under well-watered conditions, 50 mg L−1 CuONPs increased seed yield and protein content by 25% and 11%, respectively; whereas increasing concentrations of CuONPs to 100 or 200 mg L−1 reduced yield by 8–24%. On the other hand, ZnONPs at 100 and 200 mg L−1 increased average seed yield by 59% and 80%, and seed number by 39% and 48%, respectively. Drought stress reduced seed yield, seed weight, and micronutrient content by approximately 15–25%, 15%, and 34–46%, respectively, compared to well-watered conditions. Under drought stress, ZnONPs at 100–200 mg L−1 improved seed yield by 25–39%, protein content by 20–31%, and oil content by 24–29%; while CuONPs above 50 mg L−1 reduced seed number and yield by 24–54% and 37–47%, respectively. At 400 mg L−1, ionic Cu or Zn had no adverse effects on seed quality, except for ionic Zn that increased average protein under drought stress. Overall, CuONPs at 50 mg L−1 and ZnONPs at 100–200 mg L−1 increased soybean productivity and seed quality under both well-watered and drought conditions, likely due to improved micronutrient (Cu & Zn) and nitrogen assimilations. Low dose CuONP or moderate dose ZnONP foliar applications represent promising and sustainable approaches for enhancing soybean productivity while maintaining seed nutritional quality under varying water availability.
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BibTeX
@article{fallah2026optimized,
title = {{Optimized zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticle applications increase soybean productivity and drought resiliency}},
author = {Sina Fallah and Shahin Shirvani-Naghani and Lok Raj Pokhrel and Jose R. Peralta-Videa and Nubia Zuverza-Mena},
journal = {Discover Plants},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s44372-026-00968-4},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s44372-026-00968-4},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Optimized zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticle applications increase soybean productivity and drought resiliency
AU - Sina Fallah
AU - Shahin Shirvani-Naghani
AU - Lok Raj Pokhrel
AU - Jose R. Peralta-Videa
AU - Nubia Zuverza-Mena
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Discover Plants
DO - 10.1007/s44372-026-00968-4
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s44372-026-00968-4
AB - Climate-induced water stress is projected to hamper soybean yield and seed/grain quality globally, unless climate adaptive management practices are adopted. Soybean (Glycine max L.) was cultivated under field conditions using pots following randomized complete block design and subjected to well-watered or drought stress (40–50% water capacity). Plants were foliar-sprayed with 0–200 mg L−1 copper oxide (CuONPs) or zinc oxide (ZnONPs) nanoparticles, or with 400 mg L−1 of ionic Cu/Zn form. Under well-watered conditions, 50 mg L−1 CuONPs increased seed yield and protein content by 25% and 11%, respectively; whereas increasing concentrations of CuONPs to 100 or 200 mg L−1 reduced yield by 8–24%. On the other hand, ZnONPs at 100 and 200 mg L−1 increased average seed yield by 59% and 80%, and seed number by 39% and 48%, respectively. Drought stress reduced seed yield, seed weight, and micronutrient content by approximately 15–25%, 15%, and 34–46%, respectively, compared to well-watered conditions. Under drought stress, ZnONPs at 100–200 mg L−1 improved seed yield by 25–39%, protein content by 20–31%, and oil content by 24–29%; while CuONPs above 50 mg L−1 reduced seed number and yield by 24–54% and 37–47%, respectively. At 400 mg L−1, ionic Cu or Zn had no adverse effects on seed quality, except for ionic Zn that increased average protein under drought stress. Overall, CuONPs at 50 mg L−1 and ZnONPs at 100–200 mg L−1 increased soybean productivity and seed quality under both well-watered and drought conditions, likely due to improved micronutrient (Cu & Zn) and nitrogen assimilations. Low dose CuONP or moderate dose ZnONP foliar applications represent promising and sustainable approaches for enhancing soybean productivity while maintaining seed nutritional quality under varying water availability.
SN - 3005-1207
ER -