Biofabrication of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with Terminalia catappa bark extract: Characterization, antioxidant activity and plant modulating ability

The influence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO(2)NPs) biofabricated with leaf extract of Terminalia catappa for modulating Abelmoschus esculentus characteristics was investigated. The TiO(2)NPs were characterized to be monoclinic-shaped-crystalline-clustered particles with a characteristic peak at 366 nm and particle size of 75.24 +/- 1.12 nm. A. esculentus seeds were grown on soil amended with different concentrations of TiO(2)NPs and water for 28 days. The TiO(2)NPs-grown A. esculentus had enhanced germination percentage from 40 to 60%; root length from 15.75 to 23.96 cm; shoot length from 19.40 to 32.20 cm and reduced its perishability by 82.35%. The antioxidant activity and photosynthetic parameters were improved with reduction in malondialdehyde contents by 46.84% in TiO(2)NPs-grown A. esculentus. The potassium (K) contents were significantly stimulated in the tissues of TiO(2)NPs-grown A. esculentus. This study has shown that TiO(2)NPs elicited positive responses in A. esculentus for better performance.