Influence of nanopriming with phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles on seed germination and seedling growth performance in Cucurbitaceae species

The study carried out to investigate the impact of priming with phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the seed germination and seedling growth performance of three selected species of Cucurbitaceae (Momordica charantia, Benincasa hispida and Lagenaria siceraria). The biocompatible AgNPs were synthesized using fruit extract of Phaleria macrocarpa. Various characterization techniques including UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy showed the successful formation of spherical shaped AgNPs with particle size ranged from 20 to 40 nm. The surface sterilized seeds of the species were primed separately with different concentrations of AgNPs (25, 50, 75 and 100 mM) and allowed to germinate in both in vitro and ex vitro conditions. The seeds nanoprimed with 75 mM AgNPs exhibited maximum germination rate in three species grown in vitro and ex vitro within 7 days. On 14th day, the seedling morphological parameters viz. shoot length, root length, leaf area, fresh weight and dry weight, of ex vitro seedlings emerged from primed seeds were analyzed and compared with unprimed control. All the parameters were gradually enhanced when the concentration of AgNPs enhanced from 25 to 75 mM in the treatments followed by a sudden reduction at 100 mM priming. All the observed data showed statistically significant differences when analyzed using one-way ANOVA. These results highlight the potential of phytosynthesized AgNPs as an effective nanopriming agent to enhance early growth performance in cucurbit crops. The findings underscore the promise of nanopriming as a sustainable strategy for improving seed quality and crop establishment in modern agriculture.