Foliar application of iron-based nanofertilizers to wheat grown in a Cd-contaminated field: implications for food safety and biofortification

Jiapan Lian; Liping Cheng; Xiwei Huang; Xin Wang; Yi Wang; Chaoyi Deng; Xiaoping Xin; Tong Zou; Yonglong Chen; Hongyu Yu; Weitao Liu; Jianqing Pan; Zhenli He; Xiaoe Yang; Jason C. White

doi:10.1039/D3EN00958K

Foliar application of iron-based nanofertilizers to wheat grown in a Cd-contaminated field: implications for food safety and biofortification†

Jiapan Lian,^a Liping Cheng,^a Xiwei Huang,^a Xin Wang,^a Yi Wang,

^b Chaoyi Deng,^b Xiaoping Xin,

^c Tong Zou,^a Yonglong Chen,^a Hongyu Yu,^a Weitao Liu,

^d Jianqing Pan,^e Zhenli He,^c Xiaoe Yang

*^a and Jason C. White

^b

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resources Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, China

^b The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut 06504, USA

^c Department of Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center, University of Florida-IFAS, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA

^d MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China

^e Agriculture Bureau of Changxing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract

Nanotechnology applications in agriculture have received considerable attention with the aim of improving crop production, nutritional quality and food safety. The comparative effects of four different iron-based nanomaterials (Fe NMs, 50 mg Fe L⁻¹) on wheat were investigated following foliar application in a Cd-contaminated field trial. The results showed that α-Fe₂O₃ NMs, γ-Fe₂O₃ NMs and Fe₃O₄ NMs significantly reduced the Cd concentration in wheat grain (by 60.9%, 44.7% and 50.1%, respectively) below the established Cd safety threshold (0.1 mg kg⁻¹), but only γ-Fe₂O₃ NMs could simultaneously improve grain yield (by 8.6%) and the PA/Fe molar ratio in white flour (17.9%) compared to the control. Furthermore, α-Fe₂O₃, γ-Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ NMs significantly lowered the dietary Cd exposure and health risk by 44.2–57.9% by reducing Cd concentrations and bioaccessibility in wheat flour. The ionomic analysis demonstrated that with the exception of nZVI, elemental homeostasis was more sensitive to Fe NMs in the wheat leaf and glume, and a significant negative correlation between Cd and P, as well as Mo and Ca were observed. Overall, these findings highlight the significant potential of γ-Fe₂O₃ NMs as an effective foliar agent for safe wheat production and biofortification in nano-enabled agriculture.

Environmental Science: Nano

Foliar application of iron-based nanofertilizers to wheat grown in a Cd-contaminated field: implications for food safety and biofortification†

Abstract

Supplementary files

Article information

Download Citation

Permissions

Foliar application of iron-based nanofertilizers to wheat grown in a Cd-contaminated field: implications for food safety and biofortification

Social activity

Search articles by author

Spotlight

Advertisements