University of Isfahan Journal of Plant Biological Sciences 3041-9603 16 2 2024 08 22 Study of the Role of Nano-Silicon and Nano-Titanium in Yield and Yield Components of Durum Wheat Study of the Role of Nano-Silicon and Nano-Titanium in Yield and Yield Components of Durum Wheat 39 54 29404 10.22108/ijpb.2025.143469.1380 FA َAsghar Ebadi Associate Professor, Department of Plant Science, Moghan College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran Asghar Mehraban Assistant Professor, Dryland Agricultural Research Institute (DARI), Parsabad, Iran Hamid Ghorbanian Department of Plant Production and Genetics, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran Journal Article 2024 11 26 This study examined the effects of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles on durum wheat's yield and yield components. A factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design at the Moghan Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the 2019-20 crop season, focusing on cultivars and advanced durum wheat genotypes. Foliar application of nanoparticles was performed at three growth stages: late vegetative, early shooting, and early spike. Upon physiological maturity, 10 plants were randomly selected from each plot, and yield-related traits were recorded. Analysis of variance revealed significant genotypic differences in all studied traits. The foliar application of nanoparticles significantly influenced most traits, including plant height, peduncle length, spike length, grain number and weight per spike, straw weight, and grain yield per plant. Additionally, genotypes exhibited varying responses to different foliar treatments. Notably, the nano titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) application resulted in the highest overall plant yield, whereas nano silicon dioxide (nSiO₂) showed no significant yield difference compared to the control. The findings demonstrate that nanoparticle treatments positively affected key traits such as plant height, panicle length, grain number and weight per panicle, hundred-grain weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most durum wheat genotypes studied.<br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br />Durum wheat (<em>Triticum turgidum</em> L. var. durum) has always been crucial in people's nutrition in bread and pasta production. Durum wheat is a widely cultivated cereal crop in the Mediterranean basin and the tenth most cultivated species worldwide. Despite its low cultivation area, durum wheat holds significant economic importance, and estimates by the United Nations and FAO indicate that global demand for this product will increase by 2050. Several factors affect plants' growth and development, including chemical fertilizers' impact on increasing food production. Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, has beneficial effects on the growth and productivity of various plant species under different environmental conditions.  Reducing silicon in the soil is more significant for plants that do not have an efficient system for root absorption. Titanium has also been shown to stimulate plant growth, improve nutrient absorption, and enhance the quality and biomass of agricultural products. Titanium is also a helpful element and promotes the growth and development of agricultural products. The use of nanoparticles, such as silicon dioxide (nSiO₂) and titanium dioxide (nTiO₂), is emerging as a method to improve crop yield and sustainability. Nanoparticles can enhance plant physiological processes, improve chlorophyll levels, and reduce heavy metal toxicity. With the rise of nanotechnology, examining the effects of nanoparticles such as nSiO₂ and nTiO₂ on the yield of durum wheat is essential. In this research, an attempt has been made to investigate the impact of these two nanoparticles on the growth and development of durum wheat.<br /> <br /><strong>Materials and Methods</strong><br />To study the effect of SiO₂ and TiO₂ nanoparticles on yield components of durum wheat, a factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design at the Moghan Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the 2019-20 crop season. In this study, two improved varieties and 16 advanced durum wheat genotypes introduced by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) served as the first experimental factor. Foliar application of nanoparticles at three levels (titanium, silicon, and control) was used as the second factor. Each experimental plot measured 3 meters long, with a row spacing of 20 cm and a planting density of 400 plants per square meter. Foliar spraying of nanoparticles was applied at three growth stages: late vegetative, early shooting, and early spike stages. After physiological maturity, 10 plants per plot were randomly selected, and their yield and other related traits were recorded.<br /> <br /><strong>Results and Discussion</strong><br />Analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between genotypes for all studied traits. The effect of spraying with silicon and titanium nanoparticles was also substantial on most traits such as plant length, peduncle length, spike length, number and weight of grain per spike, straw weight, and grain yield per plant. Also, the results showed that the genotypes showed different responses to treatments of foliar spraying application. Genotypes G2, G3, and G13 exhibited the highest grain weight per plant. Overall, the nTiO₂ application showed the highest yield per plant compared to control and nSiO₂. However, no significant difference was observed between spraying with nSiO₂ and control in grain yield. The results show that nanoparticles were effective in enhancing the vegetative growth of most genotypes and positively affected plant length, panicle length, grain number and weight per spike, seed weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most of the studied durum wheat genotypes.<br /> <br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />The results showed that the nanoparticles were able to increase the vegetative growth of most of the genotypes and had a positive effect on the traits of plant length, panicle length, number, grain weight per panicle, 100 seed weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most of the studied genotypes. However, the response of the genotypes to the applied nanoparticles was somewhat different. This study's findings indicate that applying nSiO₂ and nTiO₂ nanoparticles in semi-arid regions can improve grain yield and serve as promising nano-fertilizers for durum wheat cultivation. This study examined the effects of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles on durum wheat's yield and yield components. A factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design at the Moghan Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the 2019-20 crop season, focusing on cultivars and advanced durum wheat genotypes. Foliar application of nanoparticles was performed at three growth stages: late vegetative, early shooting, and early spike. Upon physiological maturity, 10 plants were randomly selected from each plot, and yield-related traits were recorded. Analysis of variance revealed significant genotypic differences in all studied traits. The foliar application of nanoparticles significantly influenced most traits, including plant height, peduncle length, spike length, grain number and weight per spike, straw weight, and grain yield per plant. Additionally, genotypes exhibited varying responses to different foliar treatments. Notably, the nano titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) application resulted in the highest overall plant yield, whereas nano silicon dioxide (nSiO₂) showed no significant yield difference compared to the control. The findings demonstrate that nanoparticle treatments positively affected key traits such as plant height, panicle length, grain number and weight per panicle, hundred-grain weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most durum wheat genotypes studied.<br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br />Durum wheat (<em>Triticum turgidum</em> L. var. durum) has always been crucial in people's nutrition in bread and pasta production. Durum wheat is a widely cultivated cereal crop in the Mediterranean basin and the tenth most cultivated species worldwide. Despite its low cultivation area, durum wheat holds significant economic importance, and estimates by the United Nations and FAO indicate that global demand for this product will increase by 2050. Several factors affect plants' growth and development, including chemical fertilizers' impact on increasing food production. Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, has beneficial effects on the growth and productivity of various plant species under different environmental conditions.  Reducing silicon in the soil is more significant for plants that do not have an efficient system for root absorption. Titanium has also been shown to stimulate plant growth, improve nutrient absorption, and enhance the quality and biomass of agricultural products. Titanium is also a helpful element and promotes the growth and development of agricultural products. The use of nanoparticles, such as silicon dioxide (nSiO₂) and titanium dioxide (nTiO₂), is emerging as a method to improve crop yield and sustainability. Nanoparticles can enhance plant physiological processes, improve chlorophyll levels, and reduce heavy metal toxicity. With the rise of nanotechnology, examining the effects of nanoparticles such as nSiO₂ and nTiO₂ on the yield of durum wheat is essential. In this research, an attempt has been made to investigate the impact of these two nanoparticles on the growth and development of durum wheat.<br /> <br /><strong>Materials and Methods</strong><br />To study the effect of SiO₂ and TiO₂ nanoparticles on yield components of durum wheat, a factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design at the Moghan Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the 2019-20 crop season. In this study, two improved varieties and 16 advanced durum wheat genotypes introduced by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) served as the first experimental factor. Foliar application of nanoparticles at three levels (titanium, silicon, and control) was used as the second factor. Each experimental plot measured 3 meters long, with a row spacing of 20 cm and a planting density of 400 plants per square meter. Foliar spraying of nanoparticles was applied at three growth stages: late vegetative, early shooting, and early spike stages. After physiological maturity, 10 plants per plot were randomly selected, and their yield and other related traits were recorded.<br /> <br /><strong>Results and Discussion</strong><br />Analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between genotypes for all studied traits. The effect of spraying with silicon and titanium nanoparticles was also substantial on most traits such as plant length, peduncle length, spike length, number and weight of grain per spike, straw weight, and grain yield per plant. Also, the results showed that the genotypes showed different responses to treatments of foliar spraying application. Genotypes G2, G3, and G13 exhibited the highest grain weight per plant. Overall, the nTiO₂ application showed the highest yield per plant compared to control and nSiO₂. However, no significant difference was observed between spraying with nSiO₂ and control in grain yield. The results show that nanoparticles were effective in enhancing the vegetative growth of most genotypes and positively affected plant length, panicle length, grain number and weight per spike, seed weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most of the studied durum wheat genotypes.<br /> <br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />The results showed that the nanoparticles were able to increase the vegetative growth of most of the genotypes and had a positive effect on the traits of plant length, panicle length, number, grain weight per panicle, 100 seed weight, straw weight, and grain yield per plant in most of the studied genotypes. However, the response of the genotypes to the applied nanoparticles was somewhat different. This study's findings indicate that applying nSiO₂ and nTiO₂ nanoparticles in semi-arid regions can improve grain yield and serve as promising nano-fertilizers for durum wheat cultivation. https://ijpb.ui.ac.ir/article_29404_c2d8d4ac9c607e9058df8badad2c6973.pdf