Abstract
The current study is a field experiment set out to comprehend significance of the iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles for use as seed priming agents and their subsequent impact in alleviating water stress and improving agronomic profile of flax plants. The experimental layout consisted of a split-plot factorial design with one main plot divided into two subplots corresponding to drought and well-irrigated environment. Each of the subplots was divided into five rows of the flax plants raised from iron oxide primed seeds. The seed priming concentrations were 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm. Seed priming increased stem diameter, stem length, height, fresh weights, and dry weights of plant. The yield attributes, such as number of fruit branches, capsules, seeds per capsule, total fresh and dry stem’s fiber production, were also predominantly improved. The levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were found to decline by 66% and 71%, respectively, upon seed priming, and an enhancement in activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) was also observed by 28%, 56%, and 39%, respectively, documenting the potential of iron oxide particles in mitigating the water stress.