Effect of Coating Agents of Silver Nanoparticles on Their Accumulation in and Growth of Radish (Raphanus sativus L.)

Abstract

The widespread use of silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) in various industries has raised concerns about the fate of these materials. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effects of coating agents of Ag particles in soil and how they interact with plants as the first step in the human food chain. Radish (Raphanus sativus) was exposed to silver Nitrate (AgNO3) as well as AgNPs with different coatings: Citrate (AgNPs-Cit), Polyethyleneimine (AgNPs-PEI), and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (AgNPs-PVP) at different concentrations. The effect of concentration (5, 25, 125 mg kg-1 soil) and the type of coatings on the dry weight of radish were compared with the control. The results revealed that the type of treatments affected dry weight of radish and, among all treatments, AgNO3 had the highest weight loss, in which shoot dry weight decreased by 51%. Total silver measurement in radish root, tuber, and shoot indicated that the accumulation of AgNPs was influenced by the type and concentration of the coating. The AgNPs with positive charge coating (PEI) had a higher transfer ratio than other treatments. The findings indicated that radish had the ability to store silver in its root, tuber, and shoots in large amounts, thus having the potential to act as a source of silver contamination for humans.