Asian Plant Research Journal

The exploration of ZnO nanoparticles and their impact on Soybean (Glycine max L.) growth and productivity is driven by the urgent need to develop sustainable agricultural practices capable of addressing food security challenges in the face of climate change and soil nutrient depletion. A comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits and risks associated with the application of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in agriculture is essential for advancing sustainable crop management strategies, addressing global food security challenges, and optimizing the productivity of key crops such as soybean (Glycine max L.). Seeds of soybean were obtained from the seed store of the department of plant breeding and seed science of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. ZnO NPs were prepared utilizing green synthesis method by means of Jatropha species extract. A completely randomized design with 5 replicates was used to assign treatments to investigate the growth and yield difference between two varieties of plant (Vigna radiata L.). 5mL of the prepared plant extract was put into a beaker and heated gradually. The effect of ZnO nanoparticles on percentage seed germination of the two varieties of soybeans was determined as those seed were made to germinate on sterilized agar solution, supplemented with different concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles. Minitab 16.0 was used in analyzing the results. The following tools were applied: Descriptive statistics (mean, standard error,), Chi square test, One-way ANOVA and Person’s correlation, Turkey’s method were used for mean separation at 95% confident limit (P value =0.05 limit). The result for TGX1904-6F showed that nano 80ppm more significantly increased plant height compared to salt and fertilizer, suggesting an optimal concentration promoting growth. The plant vigor of soybean remains consistent across all nano treatments for both varieties (TGX1904-6f and TGX1951-3f), indicating that none of the treatments has a significant effect on the overall vigour of the two varieties of soybean (TGX1904-6F and TGX1951-3F). This can also be an indication that the concentrations of ZnO nano treatments selected did not exert a substantial negative impact on the overall health and growth of soybean plants. Adaptability of soybean plants to the applied treatments might be responsible for the lack of significant differences in plant vigor among treatments indicating their resilience under the experimental conditions.