Estimulación de emergencia y crecimiento inicial de Agave salmiana mediante nanopartículas metálicas

Maguey pulquero is an emblematic species of Mexico because of its productive, ecological and cultural importance; however, sexual reproduction has been underutilized, limiting plant availability and conservation. In this context, nanotechnology represents an innovative alternative to improve the initial establishment of the crop. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of imbibing seeds of Agave salmiana Cv. Xaminí in solutions of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and their combination with silver (ZnO+Ag1%-NPs) on emergence and initial growth. The study was conducted under semi-controlled conditions at the Higher Technological Institute of Huichapan, Hidalgo, Mexico, in 2025. Concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg L-1, plus a control in deionized water, were evaluated under a completely randomized design with three replications. The variables evaluated were percentage of emergence, days to maximum emergence, emergence speed index and cotyledonary leaf height. The data were analyzed using Anova and Tukey’s test (p≤ 0.05). The results showed that the treatments remained statistically similar in emergence percentage, with values above 90%, promoting faster and more uniform emergence and reducing the time needed to reach the established maximum by up to nine days, mainly in ZnO+Ag 1% treatments. Intermediate concentrations promoted initial growth, increasing cotyledonary leaf height by up to 33% and improving the emergence speed index. The positive effect is attributed to zinc, a necessary element in essential physiological processes related to plant growth, as well as to the possible physiological stimulation effect of silver at low concentrations. Seed imbibition with nanoparticles improves the initial establishment of A. salmiana, representing a promising tool for propagating and conserving this high-value species in Mexico.