Effects of seed priming mediated by iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in Capsicum annuum

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture by developing engineered nanomaterials to be used as biostimulants, fertilizers, pesticides or smart sensors. Seed priming may represent an opportunity for nano-enabled plant technology to match economic, agronomic and environmental needs. This study investigates the effects of seed priming mediated by iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in plants. We performed a multilevel integrated study to understand the basic interactions between MNPs and seeds in pepper (Capsicum annuum). Moreover, phenotypic, physiological and molecular analyses were performed to elucidate the biological impact of MNPs from seed to plant development. Interestingly, our findings show positive effects of MNPs on vegetative growth and a profound impact on pepper gene expression patterns. Indeed, we found 2,204 differentially expressed transcripts in nanoprimed seeds, most of them involved in plant defence mechanisms, potentially establishing a seed memory that might enhance the plant's capacity to counteract diverse forms of stress. In conclusion, this work provides a comprehensive investigation about nanoparticle-seed interactions with interesting implications for agricultural technology.