Efficacy of bio-inspired SeFe nanocomposite to improve protein content and antioxidant mechanism in wheat under heat stress.

Authors

Fozia Abasi, Naveed Iqbal Raja, Muhammad Sohail, Zia Ur Rehman Mashwani, Muhammad Sheeraz Ahmad, Ansar Mehmood

Published in

International journal of biological macromolecules. Pages 148081. Oct 02, 2025. Epub Oct 02, 2025.

Abstract

Wheat production is increasingly threatened by high-temperature stress, showing higher susceptibility to heat during anthesis. This study investigates the bio-fabrication and application of a novel selenium‑iron (SeFe) nanocomposite to enhance the antioxidant mechanisms in wheat under heat stress. Buddleja asiatica extract was used to synthesize SeFe nanocomposites, which were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, EDX, XRD, and SEM. The efficacy of SeFe nanocomposite efficacy tested on three wheat varieties (Markaz 2019, NARC-Sup 2021, and Wafaq-2022) under normal and heat-stress conditions, focusing on biochemical responses and yield. The results showed that foliar application of 75 mg/L SeFe nanocomposite significantly improved superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 102 %, 128 % and 116 %; catalase (CAT) by 76 %,63 % and 89 %; peroxidase (POD) by 126 %, 21 % and 13 %; guaiacol peroxidase (GPx) by 14 %, 27 % and 14 %; and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by 107 %, 67 % and 89 in Markaz-2019, NARC-Sup-2021, and Wafaq-2022 respectively compared to heat-stressed and controls. Additionally, protein content was increased by 124 %, 148 % and 108 %; soluble sugars by 105 %, 140 % and 109 %; malondialdehyde (MDA) by 209 %, 177 % and 155 %; and grain yield by 74 %, 41 %, and 94 % across the respective varieties. The results indicate that the bio-inspired SeFe nanocomposite effectively mitigates oxidative damage by improving the plant's intrinsic antioxidant defense system. The present investigation confirms the relationship between heat stress and the application of SeFe nanocomposite (75 mg/L) to decrease the effect of heat stress on wheat. It recommends possessing comprehensive knowledge and perfect consideration of antioxidant enzymatic interaction in heat-stressed crops to alleviate the adverse impact of high temperatures on yield and further biochemical traits at the gene level. The work is an experimental breakthrough that develops nanomaterial-based strategies to improve crop resilience to abiotic stresses, mainly in climate change.

PMID:
41046088
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 05 Oct 2025.

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