Chinese scientists engineer nanomaterial to enhance plant photosynthesis
Chinese biologists have created a new nanomaterial designed to enhance the process of photosynthesis in plants. This innovative advancement aims to improve the efficiency and productivity of plant growth by optimizing how plants capture and utilize light energy. Researchers believe that this breakthrough could have significant implications for agriculture and food production.
TroibNews 
A research team in China has created a carbon-based nanomaterial derived from agricultural waste biomass, which has the potential to enhance plant photosynthesis and improve crop growth.
Their recent study, published in Communications Materials, involved researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They developed carbon quantum dots, synthesized from agricultural waste biomass including straw, leaves, and weeds, as reported by Science and Technology Daily on Monday.
The findings indicate that this new material converts ultraviolet light, which plants cannot utilize, and green light, absorbed poorly by plants, into red light, allowing for more efficient absorption. Additionally, it excites electrons from the absorbed photons, supplying extra electrons for the photosynthetic electron transport chain, thereby boosting photosynthesis efficiency.
For the experiment, researchers incorporated the material into the liquid culture medium of cyanobacteria or applied it as a spray on plants. The results demonstrated that glycerol-producing cyanobacteria exhibited a 2.4-fold increase in CO2 fixation rates and a 2.2-fold increase in glycerol production. In parallel, the biomass of the Arabidopsis plant increased by 1.8 times.
The study suggests that the material not only enhances photosynthetic efficiency and facilitates plant growth but also possesses the advantages of being low-cost and highly biocompatible, indicating strong potential for future agricultural applications and solar-powered biomanufacturing.
Initial experiments have also indicated that the material can promote growth in various plants, including duckweed, peanuts, corn, and soybeans.
The research team intends to conduct further field experiments to explore these findings.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
Their recent study, published in Communications Materials, involved researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They developed carbon quantum dots, synthesized from agricultural waste biomass including straw, leaves, and weeds, as reported by Science and Technology Daily on Monday.
The findings indicate that this new material converts ultraviolet light, which plants cannot utilize, and green light, absorbed poorly by plants, into red light, allowing for more efficient absorption. Additionally, it excites electrons from the absorbed photons, supplying extra electrons for the photosynthetic electron transport chain, thereby boosting photosynthesis efficiency.
For the experiment, researchers incorporated the material into the liquid culture medium of cyanobacteria or applied it as a spray on plants. The results demonstrated that glycerol-producing cyanobacteria exhibited a 2.4-fold increase in CO2 fixation rates and a 2.2-fold increase in glycerol production. In parallel, the biomass of the Arabidopsis plant increased by 1.8 times.
The study suggests that the material not only enhances photosynthetic efficiency and facilitates plant growth but also possesses the advantages of being low-cost and highly biocompatible, indicating strong potential for future agricultural applications and solar-powered biomanufacturing.
Initial experiments have also indicated that the material can promote growth in various plants, including duckweed, peanuts, corn, and soybeans.
The research team intends to conduct further field experiments to explore these findings.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
