The ameliorating role of sulfur nanoparticles on some physiological and biochemical traits of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) under salt stress
摘要
Despite the essential role of sulfur in plant stress tolerance, the effects of green-synthesized sulfur nanoparticles (S-NPs) on medicinal plants under salinity stress remain insufficiently explored. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of S-NPs on Foeniculum vulgare L. plants under salt stress. This research seeks to clarify how these nanoparticles affect physiological and biochemical indicators related to plant adaptation to salt stress. Nanoparticles were generated by the green approach utilizing Cinnamon zeylanicum bark extract and sodium thiosulfate. Two parameters were evaluated for this purpose: the first component includes different salinity concentrations (50, 100, and 150 mM), and the second factor includes S-NPs (1 mg·mL−1). The results showed that salinity has a negative effect on most of the parameters: for example, with the increase in salinity level, the fresh weight of shoot, chlorophyll fluorescence (4.4–51.4%), chlorophyll a (10.62–25.6%), chlorophyll b (23.4–70.39%), and plant carotenoids (16.5–30.2%) decreased, while the treatment of S-NPs led to the improvement of these parameters (3.5–109.5% increase). Regarding stress markers and osmolyte contents, salinity led to an increase in these parameters (up to 218.8%), while nanoparticles decreased the amount of stress markers (47.9%) but increased the amount of proline (69.8–104.5%). This study showed that S-NPs had a substantial capacity to alleviate the damage caused by NaCl treatment in F. vulgare plants in saline soils.