Abstract
This study investigates the production of ZnO NPs by the green method and the effects of these nanoparticles on plant growth. Artemisia abrotanum L. leaf extract was used as a chelating and capping agent. It was found that the Artemisia abrotanum L. leaf extract has the potential to biosynthesize ZnO NPs. FT-IR, UV-Vis, XRD, FE-SEM, and EDX techniques were utilized in this study. The energy band gap of ZnO-NPs was calculated to be around 2.48 eV. The average size crystal structure of NPs was 50.29 nm, as confirmed by XRD. However, the ZnO nanoparticles have a nanorod shape with a size of 66.93 nm, as evaluated by FE-SEM, and the EDX confirmed that the sample is pure ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, The nanoparticles were used to grow Lepidium sativum L. plants. The total growth of Lepidium sativum L. dramatically increased with the use of ZnO NPs, and the content of natural dyes like chlorophyll a and b increased twofold compared to the control. It was explained that zinc oxide nanoparticles are a good candidate for growing plants instead of chemical fertilizers.
