Electric field-based air nanobubbles (EF-ANBs) irrigation on efficient crop cultivation with reduced fertilizer dependency.

The advent of air nanobubbles (ANBs) has opened up a wide range of commercial applications spanning industries including wastewater treatment, food processing, biomedical engineering, and agriculture. The implementation of electric field-based air nanobubbles (EF-ANBs) irrigation presents a promising approach to enhance agricultural crop efficiency, concurrently promoting environmentally sustainable practices through reducing fertilizer usage. This study investigated the impact of EF-ANBs on the germination and overall growth of agricultural crops in soil. Results indicate a substantial enhancement in both germination rates and plant growth upon the application of EF-ANBs. Notably, the introduction of ANBs led to a significant enhancement in the germination rate of lettuce and basil, increasing from approximately 20% to 96% and from 16% to 53%, respectively over two days. Moreover, the presence of EF-ANBs facilitates superior hypocotyl elongation, exhibiting a 2.8- and a 1.6-fold increase in the elongation of lettuce and basil, respectively, over a six-day observation period. The enriched oxygen levels within the air nanobubbles expedite aerobic respiration, amplifying electron leakage from the electron transport chain (ETC) and resulting in heightened reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, playing a pivotal role in stimulating growth signaling. Furthermore, the application of EF-ANBs in irrigation surpasses the impact of traditional fertilizers, demonstrating a robust catalytic effect on the shoot, stem, and root length, as well as the leaf count of lettuce plants. Considering these parameters, a single fertilizer treatment (at various concentrations) during EF-ANBs administration, demonstrates superior plant growth compared to regular water combined with fertilizer. The findings underscore the synergistic interaction between aerobic respiration and the generation of ROS in promoting plant growth, particularly in the context of reduced fertilizer levels facilitated by the presence of EF-ANBs. This promising correlation holds significant potential in establishing more sustainability for ever-increasing environmentally conscious agriculture.