Role of Cerium Compounds in Fusarium Wilt Suppression and Growth Enhancement in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

The use of nanoparticles in plant protection may reduce pesticide usage and contamination and increase food security. In this study, three-week-old Solanum lycopersicum seedlings were exposed, by root or foliar pathways, to CeO 2 nanoparticles and cerium acetate at 50 and 250 mg/L prior to transplant into sterilized soil. One week later, the soil was inoculated with the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (1 g/kg), and the plants were cultivated to maturity in a greenhouse. Disease severity, biomass/yield, and biochemical and physiological parameters were analyzed in harvested plants. Disease severity was significantly reduced by 250 mg/L of nano-CeO 2 and CeAc applied to the soil (53% and 35%, respectively) or foliage (57% and 41%, respectively), compared with non-treated infested controls. Overall, the findings show that nano-CeO 2 has potential to suppress Fusarium wilt and improve the chlorophyll content in tomato plants.