PhD defence by Andrea Pinna
Unveiling foliar uptake and assimilation pathways of manganese oxide nanoparticles through multimodal bioimaging
The introduction of nanotechnology into plant science has the potential to generate novel strategies for the delivery of essential mineral nutrients to plants. Nanoparticles (NPs) can accommodate mineral ions, and owing to their small size and mobility, they can cross all the relevant plant barriers e.g. cuticle, cell wall and vasculature, promoting their transport within the plant. The objective of this PhD study was to investigate the potential of polymeric Mn oxide (MnO) NPs as foliar fertilizer to restore Mn- functionalities in Mn-deficient barley plants.
Using a combination of bioimaging and analytical techniques, we studied the uptake and distribution pathways of foliar-applied MnO NPs in plants, as well as monitored the effects of NP assimilation on the restoration of Mn-dependent photosynthetic functionalities. We observed that foliar-applied MnO NPs entered the leaf via stomata and subsequently released bioavailable Mn2+ ions promoting the restoration of photosynthetic Mn-functionality in Mn-deficient barley leaves. However, we also found that following leaf application polymeric MnO NPs largely accumulated in the exposed leaves promoting only marginal remobilization to unexposed plant parts.
This study provides new insights into the mechanisms of uptake and assimilation of Mn-containing foliar NPs, and their ability to restore affected physiological processes in Mn-deficient leaves.
Assessment committee
Scientific researcher Dr. Astrid Avellan, CNRS, Terre & Univers, Toulouse, France Associate Professor, Dr. Zsuzsanna Ördögné Kolbert, University of Szeged, Hungary
Associate Professor Daniel O. Persson (Chair), PLEN, University of Copenhagen, DK
Supervisors
Professor Søren Husted, PLEN, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
The defence is followed by a reception in meeting room R322/23 on 3rd floor Everybody is welcome