Silicon Oxide Nanoparticles for Mitigating Environmental Stress
摘要
Environmental stress such as drought, salinity, heavy metal toxicity, and pathogen attack severely limits global agricultural productivity. In recent years, silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs) have emerged as effective nano-enabled tools for enhancing plant resilience through their high surface reactivity, bioavailability, and multifunctional physiological benefits. SiO₂ NPs improve stress tolerance by strengthening cell walls, regulating ion homeostasis, enhancing antioxidant defense systems, stabilizing photosynthetic machinery, and influencing stress-related gene expression. Their ability to modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS), improve nutrient uptake, and activate induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) further contributes to plant protection under both abiotic and biotic stresses. This chapter provides an in-depth evaluation of the synthesis, characterization, mechanisms of action, environmental applications, and safety considerations of SiO₂ NPs in stress mitigation. The integration of SiO₂ nanotechnology into sustainable agriculture offers promising opportunities for climate-resilient crop production with minimal ecological risk when applied at optimized concentrations.