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Silicon dioxide nanofertilizers improve photosynthetic capacity of two Criollo cocoa clones (Theobroma cacao L.)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2021

Pedro Gómez-Vera ,
Héctor Blanco-Flores Open the ORCID record for Héctor Blanco-Flores [Opens in a new window] ,
Ana Marta Francisco ,
Jimmy Castillo Open the ORCID record for Jimmy Castillo [Opens in a new window]  and
Wilmer Tezara Open the ORCID record for Wilmer Tezara [Opens in a new window]
Pedro Gómez-Vera
Affiliation:
Centro de Botánica Tropical, Instituto de Biología Experimental, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47114, Caracas1041-A, Venezuela
Héctor Blanco-Flores
Affiliation:
Centro de Botánica Tropical, Instituto de Biología Experimental, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47114, Caracas1041-A, Venezuela
Ana Marta Francisco
Affiliation:
Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado 21827, Caracas1020-A, Venezuela
Jimmy Castillo
Affiliation:
Centro de Físico-Química, Escuela de Química, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47114, Caracas1041-A, Venezuela
Wilmer Tezara*
Affiliation:
Centro de Botánica Tropical, Instituto de Biología Experimental, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47114, Caracas1041-A, Venezuela Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres, Estación Experimental Mutile, Esmeraldas, Ecuador
*
*Corresponding author. Email: wilmer.tezara@ciens.ucv.ve
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Summary

Studies on the effect of nanofertilizers (NF) in physiological performance of plants is scarce, especially that related to substances encapsulated into silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles in cocoa plants. The effect of foliar application of SiO2-NF on nutrient contents, gas exchange, photochemical activity, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble protein (TSP), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), and growth in seedlings of two cocoa clones (OC-61 and BR-05) in a greenhouse was assessed. Spraying with SiO2-NF increased net photosynthetic rate (A) by 16 and 60% and electron transport rate (J) by 52 and 162% in clones OC-61 and BR-05, respectively, without changes in photosynthetic pigment concentration in either clone. The SiO2-NF caused a decrease of 37 and 22% in stomatal conductance in OC-61 and BR-05, respectively; a similar trend was observed in transpiration rate, causing an increase of 42 and 100% in water use efficiency in OC-61 and BR-05, respectively. In both clones, diameter of graft increased on average 28% with SiO2-NF. Higher photosynthetic capacity was related to an increase in leaf N, P, and TSP. A significant reduction in PNUE (A/N ratio) was found in OC-61, whereas in BR-05 PNUE increased after spraying with SiO2-NF. Overall, spraying with SiO2-NF had a positive effect on photosynthetic processes in both cocoa clones, associated with an increase in nutrients content, which translated into improved growth. A differential physiological response to spraying with SiO2-NF between clones was also found, with BR-05 being the clone with a better physiological response during the establishment and development stages.

Keywords

CocoaFluorescenceFoliar fertilizerNanotechnologyNutrientsSiO2photosynthesis
Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , April 2021 , pp. 85 - 102
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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