Exploring the role of green synthesized cerium nanoparticles in enhancing wheat's drought tolerance: a comprehensive study of biochemical parameters and gene expression

One of the primary causes restricting wheat output is drought, which is turning into an increasingly serious issue in many of the world's wheat-growing countries. Through the investigation of biochemical parameters and gene expression analysis, the current study examined the impact of foliar application of green synthesized cerium nanoparticles (Ce NPs) in mitigating drought stress on wheat development. For the experimental investigation, two irrigation regimes (100% SMC and 50% SMC) and four distinct Ce NP concentrations (25 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, and 100 ppm) were employed. We found that applying Ce NPs topically increased wheat plants' overall capacity to withstand drought. Among the different concentrations used, the foliar application with 50-ppm Ce NPs substantially increased the antioxidant enzyme activity, proline content, relative water content, and all photosynthetic matrices under drought stress conditions, in comparison with the control. Ce NPs treatment also lowered the hydrogen peroxide (50.53%) and malondialdehyde amounts (22.79%) under drought stress. To substantiate the impact of Ce NPs at the molecular level, we also examined the gene expression of five stress-related genes ( MYB33, MYB3R, DREB2, ABC1, and SnRK2.4 ) and observed their upregulated expression after Ce NPs treatment under drought stress conditions. These results demonstrate the use of Ce NPs as a new strategy to mitigate the detrimental effects of drought stress in wheat. Graphical abstract Illustrating the role of Ce NPs in mitigating drought stress in plants through biochemical and molecular regulation (created in BioRenders.com)