Abstract

The current research aimed to assess the potential impact of nano-selenium mediated by Allium sativum on the morphological attributes and fatty acid profiling of seven different B. napus germplasms. Various dosages, such as (T1;10, T2;20, T3;30, T4;40 and T5;50 mg/L) of nano-selenium, were applied at three different developmental stages, i.e., (three-foliar stage, flowering stage and the fruiting stage. The results of UV-visible spectroscopy showed a peak wavelength of 291 nm, while FTIR shows different functional group alignments at a particular wavelength. The SEM validates the results about spherical nature of nano-selenium. The nano-selenium has shown significant variability in plant height, leaf area, and number of siliquae, and less variation for stem diameter and 100-seed weight. The highest (173 ± 4 cm) plant height was recorded for Bn 23697 and the lowest was 96.67 ± 11.02 cm for Bn 23635 at 40 mg/L. The maximum stem diameter recorded was 7.36 ± 1.02 cm at T1 for Narc-Sarson, while the minimum was 3.86 ± 0.513 at T3 for Bn 23633. Considerable variation in leaf area was observed, with the lowest value 48.23 ± 6.18 cm2 recorded in Super canola at T1 and the highest value 135.5 ± 23.6 cm2 in Bn1605 germplasm under higher-dosage T5 treatment. The number of pods per plant is varied between 46.33 ± 10.41 for Bn 23697 at 20 mg/L and 12 ± 1.73 for Bn 23633 at T3 and T1 as compared to untreated. Seed weight varied among the varieties, with Super-Canola having the highest at 0.435 ± 0.007 g at T2, while Bn 23635 and Bn 23636 had the lowest at 0.305 ± 0.007 g at T3. Fatty acids, particularly oleic acid (OA), and proteins exhibit a weak positive correlation of 0.2. In contrast, erucic acid (EA) and oil content percentages showed a negative correlation (r = - 0.1). No correlation (r = 0) was observed between oleic acid and linolenic acid. The applications of nanoparticles in agriculture offer promising potential for modulating fatty acid profiles in oilseed crops. To fully elucidate these mechanisms, integrated transcriptomic studies are crucial to investigate nanoparticle-induced changes in gene expression.