The synthesis of nano-silica is gaining the attention of researchers due to its numerous applications in various fields such as medicine, the food industry, catalysis, agriculture and construction, amongst others, because of its unique physicochemical features. However, achieving its facile synthesis and finding inexpensive source material that is locally available requires further exploration for its large-scale production. This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of nano-silica from locally available laterite clay using the sol-gel method. The product was analysed using X-ray florescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that the product was spherical, agglomerated and amorphous in nature. The obtained nano-silica was found to have 97% and 95% purity for sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, respectively. The synthesized nano-silica is expected to play pivotal role as a pozzolanic activator in the construction industry.

A laboratory bioassay was conducted to describe the effects of cold stratification and solid matrix priming (SMP®) on the germination response of common lambsquarters and Pennsylvania smartweed seeds. Treating seeds of common lambsquarters with a combination of cold stratification and SMP resulted in 78% germination compared with 13% in control seeds. Analogous treatments of Pennsylvania smartweed seeds resulted in 22% germination compared with 1% for control. Improved germination of common lambsquarters and Pennsylvania smartweed seeds suggested that the combination of cold stratification and SMP treatments have potential for improving seed germination in other weed species that exhibit high levels of seed dormancy.