Effect of copper oxide nanoparticles on two varieties of sweetpotato plants

Little information is available on the interaction of CuO nanoparticles (nCuO) with tuberous roots. In this study, Beauregard-14 (B-14, low lignin) and Covington (COV, high lignin) sweetpotato varieties were cultivated until maturity in soil amended with nCuO, bulk copper oxide (bCuO) and CuCl2 at 25–125 mg/kg. The Cu treatments had no significant influence on chlorophyll content. Gas exchange parameters were not affected in B-14. In COV, however, at 125 mg/kg treatments, bCuO reduced the intercellular CO2 (11%), while CuCl2 increased it by 7%, compared with control (p ≤ 0.035). At 25 mg/kg nCuO increased the length of COV roots (20.7 ± 2.0 cm vs. 14.6 ± 0.8 cm, p ≤ 0.05). In periderm of B-14, nCuO, at 125 mg/kg, increased Mg by 232%, while the equivalent concentration of CuCl2 reduced P by 410%, compared with control (p ≤ 0.05). The data suggest the potential application of nCuO as nanofertilizer for sweetpotato storage root production.