Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis
Drought stress (DS) severely threatens global food security, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance crop resilience. Nanoparticles (NPs) show potential for mitigating water scarcity and improving agricultural productivity; however, current research lacks systematic quantitative integration of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Agricultural Water Management |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002641 |
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| author | Hongzhao Li Zihui Wang Chengxiang Zhou Huashuai Wang Lingyun Chen Huaiyu Yang Dunyi Liu |
| author_facet | Hongzhao Li Zihui Wang Chengxiang Zhou Huashuai Wang Lingyun Chen Huaiyu Yang Dunyi Liu |
| author_sort | Hongzhao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drought stress (DS) severely threatens global food security, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance crop resilience. Nanoparticles (NPs) show potential for mitigating water scarcity and improving agricultural productivity; however, current research lacks systematic quantitative integration of NP-induced enhancement drought resilience mechanisms. We address this gap through a meta-analysis of 83 peer-reviewed investigations, employing effect size calculations (lnRR) to systematically quantify NP-induced improvements in crop drought resistance, while identifying critical determinants including NP types, application methods, and optimal concentrations. Our results demonstrate that NP applications under DS significantly enhanced crop growth and improved water use efficiency (WUE) by 28.3 % and 52.4 %, respectively, through osmotic regulation mediated by proline and soluble sugar accumulation. Furthermore, antioxidant enzyme activities were enhanced by 14.2–25.6 %, while H2O2 and MDA levels reduced by 39.1 % and 29.4 %, respectively. Foliar delivery at 100–150 mg L−1 emerged as the optimal NP application strategy. ZnO NPs demonstrated the highest efficacy in enhancing drought resilience across crop types. We elucidated the physiological mechanisms through which NPs enhance drought tolerance and provide practical guidance for their agricultural application. Our findings support the development of more targeted and efficient crop management strategies in drought-prone regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d81c78342b94748b902fa560d501bfe |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1873-2283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agricultural Water Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d81c78342b94748b902fa560d501bfe2025-08-20T03:25:04ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-06-0131510955010.1016/j.agwat.2025.109550Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysisHongzhao Li0Zihui Wang1Chengxiang Zhou2Huashuai Wang3Lingyun Chen4Huaiyu Yang5Dunyi Liu6College of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Corresponding authors.College of Resources and Environment, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Corresponding authors.Drought stress (DS) severely threatens global food security, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance crop resilience. Nanoparticles (NPs) show potential for mitigating water scarcity and improving agricultural productivity; however, current research lacks systematic quantitative integration of NP-induced enhancement drought resilience mechanisms. We address this gap through a meta-analysis of 83 peer-reviewed investigations, employing effect size calculations (lnRR) to systematically quantify NP-induced improvements in crop drought resistance, while identifying critical determinants including NP types, application methods, and optimal concentrations. Our results demonstrate that NP applications under DS significantly enhanced crop growth and improved water use efficiency (WUE) by 28.3 % and 52.4 %, respectively, through osmotic regulation mediated by proline and soluble sugar accumulation. Furthermore, antioxidant enzyme activities were enhanced by 14.2–25.6 %, while H2O2 and MDA levels reduced by 39.1 % and 29.4 %, respectively. Foliar delivery at 100–150 mg L−1 emerged as the optimal NP application strategy. ZnO NPs demonstrated the highest efficacy in enhancing drought resilience across crop types. We elucidated the physiological mechanisms through which NPs enhance drought tolerance and provide practical guidance for their agricultural application. Our findings support the development of more targeted and efficient crop management strategies in drought-prone regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002641Drought mitigation strategiesNano-enabled agricultureZnO nanoparticlesAntioxidant activityMeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Hongzhao Li Zihui Wang Chengxiang Zhou Huashuai Wang Lingyun Chen Huaiyu Yang Dunyi Liu Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis Agricultural Water Management Drought mitigation strategies Nano-enabled agriculture ZnO nanoparticles Antioxidant activity Meta-analysis |
| title | Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis |
| title_full | Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis |
| title_short | Harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress: A quantitative meta-analysis |
| title_sort | harnessing nanoparticles to enhance crop production under drought stress a quantitative meta analysis |
| topic | Drought mitigation strategies Nano-enabled agriculture ZnO nanoparticles Antioxidant activity Meta-analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425002641 |
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