Plant Response to Silver Nanoparticles: Plant Growth, Development, Production and Protection

This book looks at the plant response to silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), which showed both beneficial and harmful effects in a plant system. These responses of Ag-NPs are primarily dependent on the concentration, plant species or cultivars, exposure time, shape, and size of NPs. In general, lower concentrations of Ag-NPs increase seed germination, rate of photosynthesis, and overall growth, but at higher concentrations, all these responses are declined in many plant species. Moreover, Ag-NPs at higher concentration induce stress and or phytotoxicity and produce reactive oxygen species which leads to the disruption of cellular metabolism. Ag-NPs exposure increased the number of chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, and decreased the mitotic index in plant root tip cells. Proteomic study has shown that the exposure Ag-NPs resulted in an accumulation of protein precursors, indicative of the dissipation of a proton motive force. Ag-NPs also influence transcription of flowering key genes and thus delayed flowering time. A beneficial role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in influencing the effects of Ag-NPs on plant-microbe systems in a soil matrix has been also examined. Beside the terrestrial plants, these particles have also influenced the growth of some wetland and aquatic plants, which are covered in this book. This book provides valuable information to scientists, researchers, and students, working specially on plant biology, plant nanobiotechnology, plant biochemistry, plant microbiology, agricultural and other allied subjects and or science.

Professor Azamal Husen is a Foreign Delegate at Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita, Ethiopia; and also working as an Adjunct Professor at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. He has served the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, as a Full Professor of Biology, and worked there as the Coordinator of the MSc Program and as the Head of the Department of Biology. He was a Visiting Faculty member of the Forest Research Institute, and the Doon College of Agriculture and Forest at Dehra Dun, India. Dr Husen's research and teaching experience of 25 years includes biogenic nanomaterial fabrication and application, plant responses to nanomaterials, plant adaptation to harsh environments at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels, herbal medicine, and clonal propagation for improvement of tree species. Dr Husen contributed to R&D projects of World Bank, ICAR, ICFRE, JBIC etc. To his credit are >300 publications; and he is Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Plant Physiology. He is also working as Series Editor of ‘Exploring Medicinal Plants’, published by Taylor & Francis Group, USA; ‘Plant Biology, Sustainability, and Climate Change’, published by Elsevier, USA; and ‘Smart Nanomaterials Technology’, published by Springer Nature Singapore, Pte., Ltd., Singapore.