Phytotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles on Growth of Cicer Arietinum L: A Sustainable Alternative Using Green Synthesis

The high usage of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) increased its release to environment resulting in toxicity which necessitates a sustainable synthesis route. In the present study, we examined the impact of chemically synthesized AgNPs and green synthesized AgNPs from Aloe vera leaf extract on germination and growth of Cicer arietinum L. The results clearly showed that a high concentration of chemically synthesized AgNPs can completely inhibit seed germination in presence of water alone, but the change of anchorage to agar medium slightly increased the germination rate. The presence of green synthesized AgNPs showed no germination inhibition and growth parameters like biomass, shoot, and root growth were observed to be significantly higher than normal. This clearly showed that green synthesized AgNPs can effectively overcome the phytotoxicity of chemically synthesized AgNPs. Our results deliver a sustainable approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticle with possible potential in the nano-agriculture sector for crop improvement.