1.
Name of the Institute:- IIHR Bangalore
Project:- 1
Title:- Studies on nanomaterial (Nanoparticles) penetration, transport and their
bio-effects (positive and negative) in important vegetable crops.
Name of the PI:- Dr. Lakshman Reddy.
Main objectives:

Studies on penetration and movement of nanoparticles in the vascular system
of plant.

Studies on the effect of nanoparticles at sub-cellular organelles like
mitochondria, chloroplast etc. in a plant cells.

Studies on effect of different sizes and types of nonmaterial on sub-cellular
organelles at cellular level

Study the effect of nanomaterial on the physiological, morphological and
biochemical properties of plant system
Report:
Effect of Zincoxide nanoparticles on morphology of eggplant
Nanomaterials, with one or more peripheral dimension of 100 nanometers or less,
hasvariousapplicationsand are being used for commercial purposes such as catalysts,
drug carriers semiconductors, microelectronics, cosmetics, etc. Nanoparticles are
between individual atoms/molecules and the bulk material. The physicochemical
properties of nanomaterial can significantly differ from the corresponding bulk material,
thuscapable to generate potential unknown biological effects in living cells. Despite
the increased effort on elucidating the environmental impact of nanomaterials,
literature on higher plants exposure to nanoparticles remains scarce and often
contradictory. Understanding the effects of nanoparticles in edible crop plants is a
matter of importance to exploit the uses of nanoparticles. To enhance their use, it is
important to understand the synthesis, transport, deposition, and interaction of such
particles with the living cells and their components. Understanding the nature of
interactions between nanoparticles and plants is crucial in comprehending the impact
of nanotechnology on the environment and agriculture with a focus on toxicity
concerns, plant disease treatment, and genetic engineering. The current report is on
the study of Zinc oxide nanoparticles effect on eggplant in plant tissue cultures.
Experimentation:
Half strength MS plant tissue culture media is used for the experiment. Zinc
oxide (ZnO2) nanoparticles were purchased from Sigma Aldrich. Four different
concentrations of Zinc oxide nanoparticles concentrations were used 2mg/L, 4mg/L,
6mg/L, 8mg/L to enrich the plant tissue culture media along with 0mg/ L ZnO 2 as
control. The sterilized media were poured into petridishes.
Arka Anand, eggplant seeds obtained from IIHR, were surface sterilized and
inoculated into the plant tissue culture media of petri dishes. Each plate is inoculated
with 10seeds and 3 replicates of each concentration of ZnO 2 were used. The plates
were then sealed with parafilm and incubated in dark for germination, then transferred
to light after germination for further growth.
Results:
a. Morphological Traits:
All the seeds in different concentrations of plant tissue culture media were
germinated after 7 to 10days of inoculation. The readings for morphological variations
were taken after 15days of germination.
The variations in the growth of plants have been observed with varying
concentrations of ZnO2nanoparticles in the plant tissue culture media. The major effect
was observed in the root growth. As the concentration of ZnO2nanoparticles increase,
there is decrease in number of lateral roots along with thickening of the roots( Fig1
and Fig2). Thus there is a decrease in the plant length with the increase in
concentration of ZnO2nanoparticles (Graph 1).
control
A
B
C
D
Figure1: Seedlings of eggplant with variations in rooting
Concentration of ZnO2 nanoparticles: Control- 0mg/l, A-2mg/l, B-4mg/l, C-6mg/l,
D-8mg/l
Figure 2: Detailed view of Seedlings of egg plant in different concentrations of ZnO
nanoparticles. Concentration of ZnO2 nanoparticles: Control- 0mg/l, A-2mg/l, B-
No. of lateral roots
4mg/l, C-6mg/l, D-8mg/l
Root length (cm)
Treatments
Treatments
Plant mass (gm)
Root mass (gm)
Treatments
Treatments
Graph1: Effect of ZnO2 nanoparticles on lateral roots, root length, root mass and plant
mass. Concentration of ZnO2 nanoparticles: Control-0mg/l, A-2mg/l, B-4mg/l, C-6mg/l,
D-8mg/l
b. The cytological studies:
To establish the ZnO nanoparticles entering and transporting across the plant
systems, experiments was conducted and Transmission electron microscopic analysis
was performed. The ZnO nanoparticles transportation was clearly established in stem
(Figure 3), Leaf (Figure4) and in flowers( Figure5). This is claerly indicates
nanoparticles can travel across the plant system from root to flower in a single plant.
ZnO nanoparticles
(a)
Figure 3: Scanning electron microscope image of eggplant stem with ZnO nanoparticles
ZnO nanoparticles
Figure 4: Scanning electron microscope image of eggplant leaf with ZnO nanoparticles
ZnO nanoparticles
Figure 5: Scanning electron microscope image of eggplant flowers with ZnO nanoparticles.
Project:- 2
Title:- Development of nano-biosensors to detect spoilage pathogens in
packaged and storage foods.
Name of the PI:- Dr. Lakshman Reddy.
Main Objectives:

Attachment of Glucose Oxidase to nanoparticles which can be used in nanosensor development.
Fabrication of nano-biosensor and p H indicator (one or two) attachment on
starch nanoparticle (20-100 nm) and efficiency testing against gases and
spoilage.


Fabrication of nanobisensor and Glucose oxidase attachment on starch
nanoparticle (20-100 nm) and efficiency testing against gases and spoilage.
Incorporation of the nano-device to the food package and testing.
Reports:NIL