Mitigating drought stress and enhancing quinoa productivity using iron and zinc nanoparticles

Abstract In recent years, the cultivation area and consumption of quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa Willd) have increased in the country due to its nutritional properties and ability to grow in adverse conditions. Based on climate change scenarios, long periods of drought are expected, which emphasizes the need for planting and developing new plants that are adapted to these conditions. Quinoa's morphological, biochemical, and physiological responses to nanoparticle Fe and Zn foliar treatment during drought stress were examined. Quinoa development was also compared to zinc and iron. With nutrient supplementation, a 2019 drought experiment assessed quinoa growth and quality. The Giza1 cultivar of quinoa was evaluated for its morphological, biochemical, and physiological parameters. The experiment studied three factors: (1) Foliar application of different micronutrient combinations (control, Fe(as FeSO 4 ), Zn (as ZnSO 4 ), Fe+Zn, nano‐Fe, nano‐Zn, nano‐Fe+nano‐Zn); (2) Application timing at two reproductive stages (50% flowering and 100% flowering); and (3) Drought stress at two levels: control (irrigation at soil moisture potential of field capacity) and stress (irrigation at soil moisture potential of −9 bar). Drought stress greatly reduced plant height, main and lateral branch numbers, leaf number, inflorescence length, leaf, stem, and seed dry weight, wet and dry plant weights, and seed output. Foliar fertilizer increased plant height, main and lateral branch numbers, leaves, inflorescence length, stem, seed dry weights, and plant wet and dry weights. Iron and zinc nanoparticles were better nutrition. Drought stress affects quinoa production less with fertilizer. Also most metrics were negatively affected by drought stress; however, foliar nano‐Fe and nano‐Zn at 50% flowering minimized its negative effects. High protein, proline, soluble carbohydrates, water, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant enzyme activity, and low malondialdehyde. Drought stress‐application time‐nutrient correlations were significant in most parameters. At50% blooming, nano‐Fe and nano‐Zn treatments had the highest protein, proline, soluble carbohydrate, and antioxidant enzyme levels under drought stress.