Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Radish

Abstract—The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in a wide range of consumer products has the furthered need to assess its impact on organisms. To date, there have been very few studies examining the effects of AgNPs on plants. This study investigated the impact of AgNPs to seed germination rate, seedling growth, peroxidase (POD) enzyme activity and chlorophyll content of a vegetable plant Raphanus sativus. Results showed that both AgNPs and AgNO3 had no significant effect on seed germination of R. sativus. Root length and root fresh weight was significantly reduced when exposed to 40 mg/L AgNPs or AgNO3. It showed that the toxicity of AgNPs on R. sativus seedling growth is similar to AgNO3. 40 mg/L of AgNPs and AgNO3 significantly increase the activities of POD in R. sativus root and leaf. R. sativus bioassays employed in our experiments provided valuable information concerning the effects of AgNPs on plants. Keywords-raphanus sativus; silver nanoparticles; seed growth; peroxidase; toxicity. I