Physiological, Productive, and Nutritional Performance of Tomato Plants Treated with Iron and Zinc Nanoparticles via Foliar Application Under Deficit Irrigation

Water deficit in the semi-arid region of Brazil is a critical limiting factor for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.), plant development and productivity. We evaluated whether foliar zinc (ZnO NPs) and iron (Fe2O3NPs) nano-oxides and their conventional salts (ZnSO4·7H2O and FeSO4·7H2O) mitigate water deficit effects on tomato (hybrid HM 2798). A split-plot field experiment was conducted with two irrigation levels (50% and 100% ETc) and five foliar treatments: control (no application), FeSO4·7H2O (T1), Fe2O3NPs (T2), ZnONPs (T3), ZnSO4·7H2O (T4), with four replications, totaling 40 experimental plots (2 irrigation levels × 5 foliar treatments × 4 replicates). The water deficit significantly reduced the leaf area index, photosynthetic rate, membrane stability, calcium and boron contents in fruits, and total and marketable yield. Foliar application of iron and zinc nano-oxides and their conventional sources had a limited effect on tomato plant growth but increased the photosynthetic rate under both irrigation levels. Under full irrigation, ZnSO4·7H2O increased total fruit production by 61% and fruit Zn content by 18.1%. In turn, Fe2O3 NPs (T2) led increases in fruit iron content by 117.3% under water deficit and 135.2% under full irrigation. Foliar application of Fe as Fe2O3 NPs is promising to promote the biofortification of tomato fruits with this micronutrient, especially in regions with deficiency problems of this micronutrient.