In the heart of Luxembourg, researchers have been cooking up a storm in the world of crop protection, and their latest creation could send ripples through the agricultural and energy sectors alike. Gea Guerriero, a scientist at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), has been leading a team exploring the potential of a novel nano-biostimulant, dubbed the “phyto-courier,” to bolster the resilience of hemp plants under salt stress.
The phyto-courier is no ordinary concoction. It’s a formulation of silicon-stabilized hybrid nanoparticles, loaded with rutin, a flavonoid known for its antioxidant properties. When applied to the roots of hemp plants via soil drenching, these nanoparticles hitch a ride through the plant’s vascular system, translocating to aerial organs and sparking a cascade of molecular and anatomical changes.
“Imagine a tiny, smart delivery system that can navigate the plant’s plumbing and deliver beneficial compounds exactly where they’re needed,” Guerriero explained. “That’s essentially what we’ve created with the phyto-courier.”
The results, published in the journal Nano Select (translated to English as “Nano Choice”), are promising. Under non-stressed conditions, the treatment enhances the development of xylem and sclerenchyma in roots, and stimulates bast fiber formation in both stressed and unstressed plants. But where the phyto-courier truly shines is under salinity stress, where it preserves the palisade mesophyll structure in leaves, boosting the plant’s resilience.
The implications for the energy sector are significant. Hemp is a versatile crop, with fibers used in a range of applications, from textiles to bioplastics, and its seeds pressed for oil. Moreover, hemp’s rapid growth and high biomass yield make it an attractive option for phytoremediation—using plants to clean up contaminated soil—and for producing biofuels. By enhancing hemp’s resilience to salt stress, the phyto-courier could open up new opportunities for hemp cultivation in marginal lands, increasing biomass yields and contributing to a more sustainable energy future.
But the benefits don’t stop at stress resilience. Gene expression analysis revealed that the rutin-loaded phyto-courier also primes plants for stress, up-regulating stress-related genes even in the absence of salinity. Metabolomics confirmed this priming effect, showing that the phyto-courier controls ethylene levels and the jasmonic acid-mediated stress response.
“This isn’t just about helping plants survive stress,” Guerriero said. “It’s about preparing them for it, giving them a head start in the face of adversity.”
The research also highlights the potential of nano-biostimulants as a tool for crop improvement. By delivering beneficial compounds directly to plant tissues, these smart delivery systems could revolutionize the way we approach crop protection and nutrition.
As Guerriero and her team continue to explore the potential of the phyto-courier, one thing is clear: this tiny, smart delivery system could have a big impact on the future of agriculture and the energy sector. By enhancing crop resilience and productivity, it could help us meet the challenges of a changing climate and a growing global population, one hemp plant at a time.