Hollow mesoporous SiO2 nanoparticle-mediated modulation of plant-soil-microbe systems: Case study in Panax ginseng cultivation

Artificial cultivation is indispensable for obtaining medicinal plants. However, numerous challenges persist in the practical cultivation of these plants. In recent years, the role of nanotechnology in promoting plant growth and improving soil quality has attracted increasing attention. In this study, focusing on the ginseng ( Panax ginseng Mayer) cultivation system, the effects of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HM-SiO 2 NPs) on ginseng growth, rhizosphere, and cultivated soil were comprehensively analysed. The results revealed that HM-SiO 2 NPs did not exert a significant impact on ginseng growth but could enhance root activity and elicit responses from antioxidant enzyme systems. Specific concentrations of HM-SiO 2 NPs alter the soil environment in the ginseng rhizosphere, thereby providing distinct habitats for soil microorganisms, enhancing microbial interactions, promoting the stability of microbial networks, and positively influencing nutrient cycling in the ginseng rhizosphere. Moreover, the extensive effects of HM-SiO 2 NPs on the microbial and physicochemical properties of ginseng-cultivated soils were observed. Specifically, HM-SiO 2 NPs reduced the abundance and diversity of bacterial communities in ginseng-cultivated soil and significantly altered the abundance of several dominant microbial taxa. The potential effects of HM-SiO 2 on bacterial and fungal networks in ginseng-cultivated soil varied, with a reduction in the complexity of the bacterial network (particularly at low concentrations of HM-SiO 2 NPs) and increase in the complexity of the fungal network. These findings offer insights into the complex effects of HM-SiO 2 NPs on the "plant-soil-microbe" interaction system in medicinal plant cultivation, elucidate the potential applications of nanotechnology in this field, and provide a reliable basis for the development of environmentally friendly growth regulators or soil conditioners for medicinal plants. • The effect of hollow mesoporous SiO 2 NPs on the ginseng cultivation system was investigated. • SiO 2 NPs could improve ginseng root activity and induce the response of antioxidant enzyme system. • SiO 2 NPs could change the environment of rhizosphere and ginseng cultivated soil. • SiO 2 NPs were potentially beneficial for microbial networks in ginseng cultivated soil.