1Gujarat Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, NAU, Surat, Gujarat (India)
Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Navsari -396 450, Gujarat (India)
*E-mail: kiransuthar@nau.in
M.Sc. dissertation report submitted at C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, UKA Tarsadia University, Maliba Campus, Bardoli, Gujarat (India)
The present study was aimed to assess the effect of zinc-nanoparticles (Zn-NPs) on the growth and development of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) plant and to decipher the impact of Zn-NPs on secondary metabolite production. In present study, Zn-NP (< 100 nm) @ 50, 100, 200, 400 and 1000 mg L−1 concentration was tested. The nodal explants of stevia were cultured in vitro on MS medium where normal source of Zn was replaced with different concentrations of Zn-NPs. The Zn-NPs showed potential toxicity to stevia plant that was reflected from both morphological data as well as from the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes under different treatment conditions. The 200 mg L−1 concentration of Zn-NP showed lower toxicity symptoms. The phytotoxicity severity increased at concentration of 400 mg L−1 and above with highest toxicity at 1000 mg L−1 concentration. The production of stevioside was significantly reduced when exposed to Zn-NP in a concentration depended manner. The study showed concentration dependent phytotoxic effect of Zn-NP on the physiology and stevioside production in stevia.
Phytotoxicity, ROS enzymes, stevia, Zn-nanoparticle, stevioside
