Non-Ionic Metal Nanoparticle Seed Priming Enhances Germination, Emergence and Yield Formation in Sugar Beet (Beta Vulgaris L.)

Seed priming can improve crop establishment, but field evidence concerning nanoparticle-assisted priming in sugar beet remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of non-ionic Ag, Au, Cu and Pt nanoparticles on germination, emergence and yield formation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) cultivar Jampol. Laboratory and phytotron screening experiments evaluated nanoparticle concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 ppm over three annual experiments using newly produced seed lots. Based on the strongest controlled-condition response, 10 ppm Ag and Au treatments were selected for field validation in three year–location environments: Skierniewice in 2021, Śmiłów in 2022 and Straszków in 2023. Nanoparticle-assisted priming improved germination capacity and reduced mean germination time relative to non-primed seeds. Au produced the strongest overall response under controlled conditions. In the field, Ag10-F increased final emergence from 64.6% to 83.3%, while Au treatments produced the fastest emergence. Au10-F resulted in the highest mean root yield and technological sugar yield, whereas sucrose content was not significantly affected. The results indicate that nanoparticle-assisted solid matrix priming can improve sugar beet establishment and productivity. Under the tested conditions, 10 ppm Au was the most consistently effective treatment; however, further field dose–response studies are required before it can be considered a universally optimized commercial concentration.