Chitosan nanoparticles and its impact on growth, yield, some biochemical and molecular markers in silybium marianum

Abstract EN

A field experimentwasheldduringtheseasons2019/2020 and 2020/2021 in the Regional Center for Conservation and Maintenance of Endangered Plant Genetic Resources at ElHammam city, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt.

This research was conducted on wild milk thistle (Silybum marianum var.

albiflorum) cultivated and subjected to two precursors (phenylalanine and pcoumaric acid at 40 mg/L) and Chitosan nanoparticles treatments (Chs NPs 50 mg/L, Chs NPs 50 mg/L conjugated with phenylalanine 40 mg/L, Chs NPs 50 mg/L conjugated with p-coumaric acid 40 mg/L, Chs NPs 200 mg/L, Chs NPs 200 mg/L conjugated with phenylalanine 40 mg/L, and Chs NPs 200 mg/L conjugated with pcoumaric 40 mg/L) compared with the control (without the previous treatments).

The study aimed to determine the effect of treatments on growth, yield, some biochemical and molecular markers.

The DLS, zeta potential and X-ray diffraction were assigned for several fabricated Chs NPs.

The significant highest increments in dry weight/plant, seeds weight/plant and seeds yield/feddan were obtained by phenylalanine 40 mg/L followed by Chs NPs 200 mg/L.

Best biochemical markers were towards the same treatment.

In the molecular level, there are no noticeable polymorphic changes in the plant genomic material with polymorphism average 59.83% for all treatments.

The highest increases of total silymarin content in the plant seeds were detected by Chs NPs 200 mg/L, followed by phenylalanine 40 mg/L treatments.

Concerning quantity and quality estimates, application of plants with engineered Chs nanoparticles 200 mg/L, which also has the maximum antioxidant capacity and lowest toxic product malondialdehyde at the vegetative growth period to have the highest specifications and profit is recommended.