Research Projects

Climate change drivers such as drought and high temperature are predicted to decrease grain yield in sorghum, a highly sensitive crop. Nanomaterials, such as carbon quantum dots (C-dots), have been proposed as a promising solution to mitigate these stresses. C-dots can be synthesized from agroresidues and selenium, which can alleviate high temperature stress effects in sorghum. However, there is limited information on the effect of C-dots and designer C-dots on alleviating reproductive tissue oxidative damage caused by drought or high temperature stress in field crops. The objective of this project is to optimize the process conditions for synthesis of C-dots from agroresidues and designer C-dot, quantify their ecotoxicity potential, and evaluate their effects on alleviating drought or high temperature stress during reproductive stages of sorghum. Drought or high-temperature stress induces oxidative damage through elevated production of reactive oxygen species, leading to decreased photosynthetic rate and reproductive success in sorghum. Folar application of C-dot, selenium nanoparticles, or designer C-dot can alleviate this damage through its inherent antioxidant property. synthesis and characterization of C-dots from agroresidues and designer C-dot will be carried out, with ecotoxicity studies conducted in soil, plant, and water ecosystems. The effects of C-dot, selenium, and designer C-dot on drought or high temperature alleviation will be studied under controlled and field environments. This project aims to develop an effective synthesis methodology and its impacts on ecosystems, as well as the effects of C-dot and designer C-dot on sorghum crop oxidative damage.