Abstract
Salt stress is a significant environmental factor that inhibits maize growth and development, severely affecting yield formation. Interestingly, nanomaterials, particularly ZnONPs, can enhance resistance to various stresses and support healthy crop growth. However, the effects of ZnONPs on maize under salt stress remain unclear. This study investigates the effect of foliar and seed exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on reducing NaCl-induced salt stress in two maize inbred lines (NKY298-1 and NKY211). Over a period of seven days, under 120 mM NaCl, we measured growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), membrane stability index (MSI), water status (relative water content, RWC), photosynthetic pigments and parameters, selected photosynthetic enzymes, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Then, we propose four composite indices, including stress improvement index (SII), alleviation capacity index (ACI), comprehensive improvement effects (CIE), and comprehensive alleviation capacity (CAC), to rank the effectiveness of ZnONP doses. The findings suggested that 50-100 μM ZnONPs significantly mitigate salt damage, with optimal doses varying by genotype (50 μM for NKY211 and 100 μM for NKY298-1). Notably, the study's originality lies in its side-by-side composite scoring across 26 traits in two maize genotypes' seedlings. In conclusion, the findings will provide a new idea for research on the molecular mechanism by which exogenous ZnONPs application improves the salt tolerance of maize seedlings.