Effect of iron oxide nanoparticle on some morpho-physiological characteristics of sport grass

Sports grass is a suitable mixture of premium and resistant varieties of grass that has been widely accepted in many countries of the world for lawn work in parks and sports fields. Considering the role of nanotechnology in the production of plants, it is very important to investigate the effect of nanoparticles on the growth processes of grass. In this research, the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on some morpho-physiological characteristics of sport grass was investigated. The iron element is very important due to its placement in the electron transport chain and its role in photosynthesis. This research was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications in fully controlled conditions. Foliar spraying of iron oxide nanoparticles was investigated in three stages with different concentrations (zero, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm). The results of variance analysis showed that the effect of iron oxide nanoparticle foliar application on some morphological characteristics such as root length, plant dry weight, and plant density per unit area was significant. The results of the comparison of the average effect of different concentrations of iron oxide nanoparticles on the dry weight of sport grass plants indicated that the concentration of 100 ppm of this nanoparticle accounted for the highest amount of dry weight of the plant with 0.080 grams, also the effect of foliar spraying of this nanoparticle. All physiological traits (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, catalase antioxidant enzyme, guaiacol peroxidase antioxidant enzyme, and free radical inhibition percentage) were significant at the 1% level. Based on the results of this research, the application of different concentrations of iron nanoparticles had a favorable effect on the amounts of photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant enzymes, which can be suggested as a suitable elicitor to increase the growth of morphological parameters and increase the quality of physiological parameters in sport grass.