Abstract
A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine whether colloidal suspensions of inorganic nanoparticulate materials of natural or industrial origin in the external water supplied to the primary root of maize seedlings (Zea mays L.) could interfere with water transport and induce associated leaf responses. Water flow through excised roots was reduced, together with root hydraulic conductivity, within minutes of exposure to colloidal suspensions of naturally derived bentonite clay or industrially produced TiO2 nanoparticles. Similar nanoparticle additions to the hydroponic solution surrounding the primary root of intact seedlings rapidly inhibited leaf growth and transpiration. The reduced water availability caused by external nanoparticles and the associated leaf responses appeared to involve a rapid physical inhibition of apoplastic flow through nanosized root cell wall pores rather than toxic effects. Thus: (1) bentonite and TiO2 treatments also reduced the hydraulic conductivity of cell wall ghosts of killed roots left after hot alcohol disruption of the cell membranes; and (2) the average particle exclusion diameter of root cell wall pores was reduced from 6.6 to 3.0 nm by prior nanoparticle treatments. Irrigation of soil-grown plants with nanoparticle suspensions had mostly insignificant inhibitory effects on long-term shoot production, and a possible developmental adaptation is suggested.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Bentonite clay rapidly reduced excised-root water flow and hydraulic conductivity.
- Organ / stage
- excised rootse0
- Treatment
- colloidal suspensions of naturally derived bentonite claye0
- Outcome
- Water flow through excised rootse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water flow through excised roots was reduced, together with root hydraulic conductivity, within minutes of exposure to colloidal suspensions of naturally derived bentonite clay”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles rapidly reduced excised-root water flow and conductivity.
- Treatment
- industrially produced TiO2 nanoparticlese0
- Outcome
- root hydraulic conductivitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water flow through excised roots was reduced, together with root hydraulic conductivity, within minutes of exposure to colloidal suspensions of naturally derived bentonite clay or industrially produced TiO2 nanoparticles.”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Hydroponic nanoparticle additions rapidly inhibited leaf growth.
- Treatment
- nanoparticle additionse0
- Outcome
- leaf growthe0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
- Setting
- hydroponic solutione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Similar nanoparticle additions to the hydroponic solution surrounding the primary root of intact seedlings rapidly inhibited leaf growth and transpiration.”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Hydroponic nanoparticle additions rapidly inhibited transpiration.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Similar nanoparticle additions to the hydroponic solution surrounding the primary root of intact seedlings rapidly inhibited leaf growth and transpiration.”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanoparticles appeared to inhibit apoplastic flow physically through root wall pores.
Not reportedTreatment
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“appeared to involve a rapid physical inhibition of apoplastic flow through nanosized root cell wall pores rather than toxic effects”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Both bentonite and titanium dioxide reduced conductivity of killed-root cell walls.
- Treatment
- bentonite and TiO2 treatmentse0
- Outcome
- hydraulic conductivity of cell wall ghostse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“bentonite and TiO2 treatments also reduced the hydraulic conductivity of cell wall ghosts of killed roots”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanoparticles reduced mean root cell-wall pore exclusion diameter from 6.6 to 3.0 nm.
- Treatment
- prior nanoparticle treatmentse0
- Outcome
- average particle exclusion diameter of root cell wall porese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 3.0 nme0
- Qualifier
- from 6.6 to 3.0 nme0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the average particle exclusion diameter of root cell wall pores was reduced from 6.6 to 3.0 nm by prior nanoparticle treatments”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanoparticle irrigation had mostly insignificant inhibitory effects on long-term shoot production.
- Treatment
- Irrigation of soil-grown plants with nanoparticle suspensionse0
- Outcome
- long-term shoot productione0
- Direction
- inhibitorye0
- Setting
- soil-grown plantse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation of soil-grown plants with nanoparticle suspensions had mostly insignificant inhibitory effects on long-term shoot production”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggested possible developmental adaptation after nanoparticle irrigation.
- Outcome
- possible developmental adaptatione0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a possible developmental adaptation is suggested.”
t0“maize seedlings (Zea mays L.)”
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