Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles using Pea Peel Biomass and Their Assessment on Seed Germination of Tomato, Chilli and Brinjal Crop

Background: Modern agriculture heavily relies on chemical fertilizers, which can harm the ecosystem. Applying fertilizers based on nanoparticles (NPs) topically at ppm levels provides a faster and more efficient way to capture essential nutrients for plant growth and development. The “green” synthesis of NPs has become more and more popular as a means of achieving sustainability and environmental protection. Nano-fertilizers have been used to increase crop yields. Methods: In the present study, zinc, iron and manganese NPs were green synthesized and characterized. Their aqueous solution assessment was also carried out on the tomato, chilli and brinjal crop seed germination. The extract of the pea peel biomass is used as the reducing agent to synthesize ZnO, Fe2O3 and MnO2 NPs. The triplicates of each crop, consisting of sterilized 20 tomato, chilli and brinjal seeds, were sprayed with ZnO, Fe2O3 and MnO2 NPs at varying concentrations (10, 20 and 50 ppm). Result: Through peak-matching and the formation of an FT-IR band in the 400-800 cm-1 region, XRD examination verified that the NPs were produced. UV-visible spectroscopy proved the particles’ direct band gap nature, whereas FE-SEM showed their spherical shape, agglomerated multiform and globular dispersion. The particles’ diameters ranged from 40 to 120 nm. The maximum germination frequency (25.00) of brinjal seeds was observed in Mn with seed vigour (88.33), followed by ZnFeMn (23.75) and Zn (22.50) NPs for 20 ppm. Zn was found effective for germination in all crop seeds with germination frequency (20.00 to 22.50). This study demonstrated the importance of green nanoparticles, which are economical and environmentally benign, on seed germination. Therefore, we must develop new approaches to address various challenges and ensure sufficient food for everyone. A useful tool for assisting farmers in implementing new techniques and guaranteeing steady agricultural yields is nanotechnology.