Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2025)

Nanoformulations of auxin and zeatin: A sustainable approach to minimize flower shedding in greengram

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.7257
Submitted
17 January 2025
Published
19-06-2025 — Updated on 01-07-2025
Versions

Abstract

Greengram is a protein-rich pulse crop, facing significant yield challenges due to flower shedding, caused by factors such as limited photosynthesis, hormonal imbalances, genetic traits, etc. The study aimed to develop and evaluate nanoemulsions of 1-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and zeatin to reduce flower shedding and improve crop productivity. Laboratory synthesis and characterization were conducted at the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology and a field trial was carried out at the Agricultural Research Station, Bhavanisagar. Nanoemulsions were standardized using 50% ethanol as the aqueous phase for NAA and 0.25% DMSO for zeatin, with liquid paraffin and Tween 80 forming the oil phase. The resultant formulations achieved reduced particle sizes (80-300 nm) with higher stability. Field experiments consisted of foliar application of nanoemulsions at varying concentrations and conventional formulations at recommended doses, applied at 50% flowering and 10 days thereafter. The results demonstrated that NAA nanoemulsion at 30 ppm significantly enhanced leaf area, dry matter production and chlorophyll index. Flower shedding was reduced to 60.2%, compared to control, while pod setting improved by 47.5%. The higher seed yield (1096 kg ha-1) and haulm yield were recorded with NAA nanoemulsion at 30 ppm, showing a 30.8% increase over the control. Conventional zeatin at 5 ppm also performed well but was less effective than NAA nanoemulsion. The study concluded that NAA nanoemulsion at 30 ppm effectively reduces flower shedding and enhances greengram productivity, offering a viable solution for improving sustainable crop management.

References

  1. 1. Indiastat. Agricultural Production; 2024. [Internet]. [cited 12 Jan 2025]. Available from: https://www.indiastat.com/table/agriculture/selected-state-season-wise-area-production-product/1457082
  2. 2. Indiastat. Agricultural Production; 2025. [Internet]. [cited 12 Jan 2025]. Available from: https://www.indiastat.com/table/agriculture/selected-state-season-wise-area-production-product/1457200
  3. 3. Deol JS. Improving productivity of pulses using plant growth regulators: a review. Int J Microbiol Res. 2018;10(6):1259–63. https://doi.org/10.9735/0975-5276.10.6.1259-1263
  4. 4. Ramesh T, Rathika S, Sangeetha S, Satheesh S, Ponpradeepa M, Pavithra A. Enhancement of black gram productivity through foliar spray of nutrients and growth hormones review. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2020;9(12):1–11. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.912.189
  5. 5. Kim J. Four shades of detachment: regulation of floral organ abscission. Plant Signaling and Behavior. 2014;9(11):e976154. https://doi.org/10.4161/15592324.2014.976154
  6. 6. Qin H, Huang R. Auxin controlled by ethylene steers root development. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(11):3656. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19113656
  7. 7. Chen C, Wu XM, Pan L, Yang YT, Dai HB, Hua B, et al. Effects of exogenous ?-naphthaleneacetic acid and 24-epibrassinolide on fruit size and assimilate metabolism-related sugars and enzyme activities in giant pumpkin. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(21):13157. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113157
  8. 8. Van Doorn WG, Çelikel FG, Pak C, Harkema H. Delay of Iris flower senescence by cytokinins and jasmonates. Physiol Plant. 2013;148(1):105–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-3054.2012.01690.x
  9. 9. Werner T, Motyka V, Strnad M, Schmülling T. Regulation of plant growth by cytokinin. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2001;98(18):10487–92. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.171304098
  10. 10. Amanullah MM, Sekar S, Vincent S. Plant growth substances in crop production: a review. Asian J Plant Sci. 2010;9(4):215–22. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajps.2010.215.222
  11. 11. Basuchaudhuri P. Influences of plant growth regulators on yield of soybean. Indian J Plant Sci. 2016;5(4):25–38. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27224.80641
  12. 12. McIntyre KE, Bush DR, Argueso CT. Cytokinin regulation of source-sink relationships in plant-pathogen
  13. interactions. Front Plant Sci. 2021;12:677585. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.677585
  14. 13. Anton N, Vandamme TF. Nano-emulsions and micro-emulsions: clarifications of the critical differences. Pharm Res. 2011;28:978–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-010-0309-1
  15. 14. Parida PK, Pavithran P, Shirisha K, Bhargav M. Nanotechnology applications in agriculture. In: Recent approaches in agriculture. Elite Publishing House; 2017. p. 215–29. Watson DJ. The physiological basis of variation in yield. Adv Agron. 1952;4:101–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60307-7
  16. 15. Watson DJ. The physiological basis of variation in yield. Adv Agron. 1952;4:101–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60307-7
  17. 16. Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951;193(1):265–75. https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0021-9258%2819%2952451-6
  18. 17. Gomez KA, Gomez AA. Statistical procedures for agricultural research. John Wiley and Sons; 1984.
  19. 18. Elfiyani R, Amalia A, Pratama SY. Effect of using the combination of Tween 80 and ethanol on the formation and physical stability of microemulsion of eucalyptus oil as an antibacterial. J Young Pharm. 2017;9(1):1–4. https://doi.org/10.5530/jyp.2017.1s.1
  20. 19. Mehmood T, Ahmed A. Tween 80 and soya-lecithin-based food-grade nanoemulsions for the effective delivery of vitamin D. Langmuir. 2020;36(11):2886–92. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03944
  21. 20. Kucharczyk B, Tylus W. Effect of Pd or Ag additive on the activity and stability of monolithic LaCoO3 perovskites for catalytic combustion of methane. Catal Today. 2004;90(1-2):121–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2004.04.016
  22. 21. Seyfi B, Baghalha M, Kazemian H. Modified LaCoO3 nano-perovskite catalysts for the environmental application of automotive CO oxidation. Chem Eng J. 2009;148(2-3):306–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2008.08.041
  23. 22. Lingegowda DC, Kumar JK, Prasad AD, Zarei M, Gopal S. FTIR spectroscopic studies on Cleome gynandra- Comparative analysis of functional group before and after extraction. Rom J Biophys. 2012;22(3-4):137–43.
  24. 23. Alkrad JA, Shukla A, Mrestani Y, Neubert RH. Investigation in W/O developed microemulsions with DMSO as a cosurfactant. Pharmazie. 2016;71(5):258–62. https://doi.org/10.1691/ph.2016.5122
  25. 24. Jamil M, Saher A, Javed S, Farooq Q, Shakir M, Zafar T, et al. A review on potential role of auxins in plants, current applications and future directions. J Biodivers Environ Sci. 2021;18(1):11–16.
  26. 25. Faiss M, Zalubìlová J, Strnad M, Schmülling T. Conditional transgenic expression of the ipt gene indicates a function for cytokinins in paracrine signaling in whole tobacco plants. Plant J. 1997;12(2):401–15. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-313X.1997.12020401.x
  27. 26. Grossmann K. Mediation of herbicide effects by hormone interactions. J Plant Growth Regul. 2003;22:109–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-003-0020-0
  28. 27. Hoque AA, Ahmed QM, Rahman MM, Islam MA. Effect of application frequency of naphthalene acetic acid on physiomorphological characters and yield of brinjal. Res Agric Livest Fish. 2018;5(2):151–55. https://doi.org/10.3329/ralf.v5i2.38051
  29. 28. Hassan SK, Hegazy AZ. Using gibberellic acid, kinetin and liquorice extract as pre-planting soaking treatments for globe artichoke seed pieces. J Appl Sci. 2017;32(4):121–35.
  30. 29. Glanz-Idan N, Tarkowski P, Ture?ková V, Wolf S. Root–shoot communication in tomato plants: cytokinin as a signal molecule modulating leaf photosynthetic activity. J Exp Bot. 2020;71(1):247–57. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz399
  31. 30. Rajesh K, Reddy S, Reddy PK, Singh GB. Effect of plant growth regulating compounds on chlorophyll, photosynthetic rate and yield of green gram. Int J Dev Res. 2014;4(5):1110–12.
  32. 31. Kaya C, Ashraf M, Dikilitas M, Tuna AL. Alleviation of salt stress-induced adverse effects on maize plants by exogenous application of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and inorganic nutrients field trial. Aust J Crop Sci. 2013;7(2):249–54.
  33. 32. Jacobs WP. Plant hormones. Cambridge (England); New York: Cambridge University Press; 1979
  34. 33. Khandaker MM, Awang I, Ismail SZ. Effects of naphthalene acetic acid and gibberellic acid on plant physiological characteristics of wax apple (var. Jambu madu). Bulg J Agric Sci. 2017;396–404.
  35. 34. Senthil A, Pathmanaban G, Srinivasan PS. Effect of bioregulators on some physiological and biochemical parameters of soybean (Glycine max L.). Legume Res. 2003;26(1):54–56.
  36. 35. Bleecker AB, Patterson SE. Last exit: senescence, abscission and meristem arrest in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell. 1997;9(7):1169. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.9.7.1169
  37. 36. Shinde AK, Jadhav BB. Influence of NAA, ethrel and KNO3 on leaf physiology and yield of cowpea. Ann Plant Physiol. 1995;9(1):43–46.
  38. 37. Lara BME, Garcia GMC, Fatima T, Ehne R, Lee TK, Proels R, et al. Extracellular invertase is an essential component of cytokinin-mediated delay of senescence. Plant Cell. 2004;16(5):1276–87. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.018929
  39. 38. Fariduddin Q, Ahmad A, Hayat S. Responses of Vigna radiata to foliar application of 28-homobrassinolide and kinetin. Biol Plant. 2004;48:465–68. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BIOP.000
  40. 0041106.77930.d6
  41. 39. Masidur AM, Naeem M, Idrees M, Masroor M, Khan A, Moinuddin. Augmentation of photosynthesis, crop productivity, enzyme activities and alkaloids production in Sadabahar (Catharanthus roseus L.) through application of diverse plant growth regulators. J Crop Sci Biotechnol. 2012;15:117–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-011-0005-7
  42. 40. Singh C, Jambukiya H. Effect of foliar application of plant growth regulators on growth and yield attributing characters of green gram (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek). J Crop Weed. 2020;258–64. https://doi.org/10.22271/09746315.2020.v16.i2.1347
  43. 41. Fox JE, Erion JL. A cytokinin-binding protein from higher plant ribosomes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1975;64(2):694–700. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-291X(75)90376-9
  44. 42. Klambt D. Cytokinin effects on protein synthesis of in vitro systems of higher plants. Plant Cell Physiol. 1976;17(1):73–76. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.pcp.a075267
  45. 43. Mizrahi Y, Amir J, Richmond AE. The mode of action of kinetin in maintaining the protein content of detached Tropaeolum majus leaves. New Phytol. 1970;69(2):355–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1970.tb02434.x
  46. 44. Sharief AE, El-Hamady MM. Influence of growth regulators on shedding of broad bean, growth, yield and seed quality. Int J Environ Agric Biotechnol. 2017;2(2):238753. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/2.2.51
  47. 45. El-Antably HM. The effect of CCC on the levels of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid, gibberellins and cytokinins in Vicia faba plants. Biol Plant. 1975;17(5):322–28. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1007/BF02921154
  48. 46. Manivel. Physiology of the tea plant. In: Scientific perspectives of tea plant horticulture and productivity. Academic Press; 2022. p. 81–91 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823444-0.00006-6
  49. 47. Patil SN, Patil RB, Suryawanshi YB. Effect of foliar application of plant growth regulators and nutrients on seed yield and quality attributes of mung bean (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek). 2005;142–45.
  50. 48. Aslam M, Ejaz A, Saguu AG, Hussain K, Ayaz M, Ullah I, et al. Effect of plant growth regulator (NAA) and available soil moisture depletions on yield and yield components of chickpea. Sarhad J Agric. 2010;26:325–35.
  51. 49. Bangerth F. Dominance among fruits/sinks and the search for a correlative signal. Physiol Plant. 1989;76(4):608–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-3054.1989.tb05487.x

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.