The effect of fullerene on the physiological and biochemical parameters of barley plants in hydroponic culture

The differences in the response to the action of fullerene of barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L., cultivar Yakub) grown in water culture (in distillated water or Knop’s nutrient solution) with the addition of fullerene C₆₀ (10 or 50 mg/l) were studied. The content of chlorophyll, flavonols, and nitrogen balance index (NBI) were evaluated in the 1st leaf during the growing. At the end of the experiment, the relative rate of water loss (RWL) by the leaves was determined, as well as the dry mass of the roots and shoots.

The effect of fullerene on the physiological and biochemical parameters of barley plants depended on the concentration of these nanoparticles and the presence of nutrients in the cultivation medium. Under the action of 10 mg/l of fullerene, all investigated parameters were mainly maintained at the level of control values. At the same time, exposure to 50 mg/l of fullerene stimulated a decrease in the content of chlorophyll and flavonols in the first leaf, increased the relative loss of water by the leaves, and slowed down the growth of barley plants grown in water. When 50 mg/l of fullerene was added to the Knop solution, the chlorophyll content in the first leaf increased, the accumulation of flavonols practically did not change, and the NBI increase was more prolonged. In this case, the dry mass of shoots increased, and no significant changes in the relative loss of water by the leaves and root growth were noted. It is assumed that differences in the sensitivity of plants to fullerene during their growth in water and Knop’s nutrient solution are associated, on the one hand, with their anatomical, morphological, and physiological and biochemical characteristics, including the activity of detoxification mechanisms, and, on the other, with possible changes in physicochemical properties nanoparticles in a solution of salts, activation of the delivery of nutrients with the help of fullerene and the influence on the processes that cause the aging of the first leaf to slow down.

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