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Nanotechnology and Plant Sciences pp 125–151Cite as

Latest Developments of Nanotoxicology in Plants

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Abstract

In the last years metal nanoparticles have been largely used for their unique physical, chemical, and biological properties, which differ from those of bulk materials. The wide number of applications has led to a significant diffusion of such particles in the environment and their absorption by plants. The aim of this chapter is to follow the metabolic pathway of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanomaterials inside the plant cells. In particular, the effects of different metal nanomaterials on seed germination, growth, chlorophyll concentration, biomass accumulation, root elongation, variation in the shoot/root ratio, photosynthetic characteristics, and antioxidant responses will be analyzed. Furthermore, the latest studies of phytotoxicity (including production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), biomass reduction, stress levels, mitochondrial dysfunction, membrane damage, and release of toxic ions) will be presented. Along the chapter, the acute toxicity of nanomaterials in plants and the long-term effects to different generations will be investigated. Finally, the concentration of NPs in different parts of the plants and their uptake in plant foliar will be described with the choice of NPs that have less toxic and more useful effects in agriculture.

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Acknowledgments

Fundings: the work was supported by the WADIS-MAR project, and by Master and Back program funded by the Regione Autonoma della Sardegna.

Conflict of interests: the authors declare no potential conflict of interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nucleo di Ricerca sulla Desertificazione, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Stefania Mura & Gianfranco Greppi

  2. DADU, Dipartimento di Architettura Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Palazzo del Pou Salit, Piazza Duomo 6, 07041, Alghero, Italy

    Gianfranco Greppi

  3. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, 225 S. University Street, West Lafayette, 47907, Indiana

    Joseph Irudayaraj

Authors
  1. Stefania Mura
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  2. Gianfranco Greppi
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  3. Joseph Irudayaraj
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefania Mura .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Microbiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Manzer H. Siddiqui

  2. Department of Botany and Microbiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed H. Al-Whaibi

  3. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    Firoz Mohammad

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Mura, S., Greppi, G., Irudayaraj, J. (2015). Latest Developments of Nanotoxicology in Plants. In: Siddiqui, M., Al-Whaibi, M., Mohammad, F. (eds) Nanotechnology and Plant Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14502-0_7

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