The increasing number of patents suggests that the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in agriculture will continue to grow in the future. Properties associated with nanosized objects might be desirable, but may pose a threat to the environment since the fate of nanomaterials is poorly understood. Seed treatment is an extensive practice to provide micronutrients and disease protection. This study investigates the effect of Ag₂S NPs, Ag⁰ NPs, and AgNO₃ (1, 100, and 1000 mg Ag per L) on the germination of Phaseolus vulgaris seeds and the mechanism of interaction in the seed coat. Ag treatments did not affect the germination rate. On the other hand, the development of seedlings was significantly improved by Ag₂S NPs while AgNO₃ showed a negative effect compared to the control (water). Silver from different sources was accumulated and biotransformed along the seed coat. Ag from the AgNO₃ treatment was found as AgCl and bound to oxygen, and Ag⁰ NPs underwent oxidative dissolution forming thiolate complexes. On the other hand, Ag₂S NPs did not show any detectable chemical changes. Silver distribution and speciation were investigated in the bean testa using μ-XRF and μ-XANES, while the macromolecular composition was assessed by ATR-FTIR. The Ag biotransformation depended on the source. For the FTIR results, it is possible to verify perturbations in the carbohydrate region as well as changes in the protein region. The combination of these results can contribute to building another step in the understanding of how nanoparticles can improve agricultural inputs and benefit food crops.

中文翻译：

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Ag纳米颗粒增强菜豆的幼苗发育：了解整个种皮的纳米颗粒迁移和化学转化

越来越多的专利表明，纳米颗粒（NPs）在农业中的使用在未来将继续增长。与纳米物体相关的特性可能是理想的，但由于对纳米材料的命运了解甚少，因此可能对环境构成威胁。种子处理是提供微量营养素和保护疾病的广泛实践。本研究调查了Ag ₂ S NPs，Ag ⁰ NPs和AgNO ₃（每升分别含1,100和1000 mg Ag）对菜豆种子发芽的影响以及种皮中相互作用的机制。Ag处理不影响发芽率。另一方面，Ag ₂显着改善了幼苗的发育与对照（水）相比，AgNO _3的S NPs表现出负面影响。来自不同来源的银被积累并沿着种皮生物转化。发现来自AgNO ₃处理的Ag为AgCl并与氧结合，并且Ag ⁰ NP经历了氧化溶解，形成了硫醇盐络合物。另一方面，Ag ₂S NPs没有显示任何可检测的化学变化。使用μ-XRF和μ-XANES在豆种皮中研究了银的分布和形态，同时通过ATR-FTIR评估了大分子组成。银的生物转化取决于来源。对于FTIR结果，可以验证碳水化合物区域的扰动以及蛋白质区域的变化。这些结果的结合可以帮助我们进一步了解纳米颗粒如何改善农业投入并惠及粮食作物。