PJB-2026-110
Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce systemic resistance against tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomato plants
Rehab Dawoud
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as an eco-friendly nanotechnological approach to enhance systemic resistance in tomato plants against Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), one of the most destructive viral diseases affecting tomato production worldwide. Our results demonstrated that foliar application of ZnO-NPs significantly suppressed TYLCV infection in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment with ZnO-NPs at 100 mg L⁻¹ resulted in a 79% reduction in disease severity and resulted in a 93.8% reduction in virus infection compared with infected control plants. In addition, viral accumulation measured by DAS-ELISA was markedly reduced, with the lowest optical density recorded at OD₄₀₅ = 0.98, compared to 3.02 in infected untreated plants. ZnO-NPs treatment also significantly enhanced plant defense responses. The highest induction of biochemical defenses was observed at 80 mg L⁻¹, where total soluble protein content reached 1.88 mg g⁻¹ FW, accompanied by increased activities of peroxidase (13.07 U g⁻¹ FW) and polyphenol oxidase (12.75 U g⁻¹ FW). Correlation and regression analyses revealed strong negative relationships between ZnO-NPs concentration and both disease severity (R² = 0.96) and viral accumulation (R² = 0.94), while virus infection reduction showed a strong positive association with antioxidant enzyme activities. These findings indicate that ZnO-NPs effectively restrict TYLCV accumulation while activating host antioxidant and defense mechanisms, highlighting their potential as a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy for managing TYLCV in tomato production systems.
To Cite this article:
Under Review
We Welcome Latest Research Articles In Field Of Botany The Pakistan Journal of Botany is an international journal .... Read More
