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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp7 (2026): International Conference on Agricultural Sustainability

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes at 50 µg/mL enhance germination, growth, leaf chlorophyll and seed phosphate and potassium uptake in Indonesian mung bean

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14344
Submitted
4 March 2026
Published
15-09-2026

Abstract

A seed priming experiment using Indonesian mung bean cultivar Vina-2 was conducted to evaluate the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) concentration and seed soaking duration on germination, growth, leaf chlorophyll contents, yield components and phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) uptake in harvested seeds. The MWCNT concentrations were 0, 25, 50 and 75 µg/mL, while the seed-soaking durations were 12, 18 and 24 hr. The results revealed that a concentration of 50 µg/mL of MWCNTs, regardless of the soaking duration, accelerated the length of germinated seeds (19.18 cm) in a week, however the germination percentage (97–100 %) was not statistically significant. Seedlings treated with this concentration exhibited the best germination uniformity index (T₇₅ - T₂₅) when soaked for 12 or 18 hr. During the post-germination, regardless of soaking duration, it significantly increased seedling length (19.18 cm) after one week; however, the germination percentage (97–100 %) was not significantly affected. Moreover, harvested seeds demonstrated higher P and K contents, irrespective of soaking duration. However, soaking for 24 hr reduced the seed K content. Soaking seeds for 24 hr without MWCNTs treatment (0 µg/mL) resulted in the lowest number of seeds per pod (5.67). In contrast, soaking for 12 or 18 hr under the same control condition produced higher seed numbers (9.67–10.00) and these results were comparable to those of the best treatment. In conclusion, seed priming with 50 µg/mL MWCNTs does not only improve the growth during germination and post-germination in Indonesian mung bean but also enhances the leaf chlorophyll a and b contents as well as seed-P and -K uptake.

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