Open Access

REVIEW

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Fruit Crops Focusing on Sustainable Production

Meryam Manzoor¹, Konstantin Korolev², Maryam³, Riaz Ahmad^4,*

1 Department of Horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan
2 Department of Botany, Biotechnology and Landscape Architecture, School of Natural Sciences, Tyumen State University, Tyumen, 625003, Russia
3 Department of Botany, The Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
4 Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan, 29220, Pakistan

* Corresponding Author: Riaz Ahmad. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Fruit Resistance Research and Applications)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(5), 1401-1418. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.063930

Received 29 January 2025; Accepted 21 April 2025; Issue published 29 May 2025

Abstract

The productivity of fruit crops is badly affected by abrupt changes in climatic conditions. It is a matter of concern for fruit tree researchers to feed the huge population within the available resources. The adverse effects of abiotic stresses are increasing due to fluctuations in climate change. Several abiotic stresses (salinity, drought, water logging, minerals deficiency, temperature extremities and heavy metals) are reducing the overall productivity of crops. Therefore, the application of different management approaches, i.e., phytohormones, nanoparticles, organic amendments, microbes and molecular aspects are effective for the mitigation of abiotic stresses in fruit crops. The aim of the present review was to explore the potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) to lessen the adverse effects of abiotic stresses in fruit crops. Fruit crops are important sources of minerals and vitamins. ZnO-NPs could improve the tolerance mechanism of fruit crops by reducing oxidative harm. Moreover, these are involved in boosting the antioxidant properties of fruit trees. Regular formation of photosynthetic pigments involved in the regulation of the photosynthesis process through ZnO-NPs applications under adverse conditions. Their use can contribute to the regulation of several metabolic processes that occur in plants subjected to abiotic stresses. The disturbances in photosynthetic pigments, irregular metabolic processes and generation of toxic substances are causing stunted growth, low yield and poor fruit quality. Hence, the application of ZnO-NPs is important for the sustainable production of fruit crops by improving seedlings’ growth and fruit quality via activation of the plant defense system. However, higher concentration of nanoparticles results in growth inhibition and poor yield due to cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity. Therefore, nanoparticle interaction with fruit crops needs more consideration at the epigenetic level for the mitigation of multiple stresses.

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