Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Impact Yield and Modify Nutritional Parameters in Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.)

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P>The implications of engineered nanomaterials on crop productivity and food quality are not yet well understood. The impact of cerium oxide nanoparticles (<I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>) on growth and yield attributes and nutritional composition in wheat (<I>Triticum aestivum</I> L.) was examined. Wheat was cultivated to grain production in soil amended with 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg of <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>/kg (control, <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>-L, <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>-M, and <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>-H, respectively). At harvest, grains and tissues were analyzed for mineral, fatty acid, and amino acid content. Results showed that, relative to the control, <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>-H improved plant growth, shoot biomass, and grain yield by 9.0%, 12.7%, and 36.6%, respectively. Ce accumulation in roots increased at increased <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB> concentration but did not change across treatments in leaves, hull, and grains, indicating a lack of Ce transport to the above-ground tissues. <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB> modified S and Mn storage in grains. <I>n</I>CeO<SUB>2</SUB>-L modified the amino acid composition and increased linolenic acid by up to 6.17% but decreased linoleic acid by up to 1.63%, compared to the other treatments. The findings suggest the potential of nanoceria to modify crop physiology and food quality with unknown consequences for living organisms.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B>
<IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/jafcau/2014/jafcau.2014.62.issue-40/jf503526r/production/images/medium/jf-2014-03526r_0002.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/jf503526r'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>