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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Evaluating the effectiveness of zinc oxide and chitosan nanoparticles to enhance the growth, yield and oil content of toria (Brassica campestris L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14183
Submitted
20 February 2026
Published
20-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

A field evaluation was conducted during the rabi season of 2024–25 at Lovely Professional University in Punjab to assess the effects of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Chitosan (Ch) nanoparticles (NPs) on the growth, yield, oil and overall profit of toria (Brassica campestris L.). The experiment was set up by applying nine treatments using seed and foliar sprays of ZnO and Ch nanoparticles (NPs) at 500 and 1000 ppm and organising them using randomised block design (RBD) with 3 replications. Foliar application of ZnO NPs at 500 ppm resulted in significantly increased the plant height, the number of leaves and siliquae per plant as well as yield per hectare and oil content were the maximised among the treatments. This treatment had the best net return and benefit-cost ratio among all the Treatments. Foliar application with 500 ppm chitosan also improved growth and physiological traits, but with less magnitude. Seed treatments were in most cases less efficient than foliar treatments. The better performance of ZnO foliar spray could be due to the higher nutrient uptake, metabolic enhancement and stress tolerance. These results demonstrated the potential utility of ZnO NPs, particularly via foliar application, as a sustainable and effective tool toward enhancing oilseed crops yield and profitability.

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