Team Including Stockbridge’s Baoshan Xing Develops Method to Increase Yield and Quality of Rice in Heatwave Conditions

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As global populations continue rising – to an estimated 10 billion people by 2050, according to the World Bank – it will be crucial to meet food demand without further straining the planet. As climate change leads to more frequent and intense heatwaves, developing sustainable technologies and processes that can aid plants in becoming more heat-tolerant will be essential.

The cultivation of rice, a staple for more than half the world’s population, is highly sensitive to heat stress, with high temperatures significantly reducing yields. By equipping rice plants with the means to withstand rising temperatures, producers can safeguard this critical crop from climate-related disruptions and ensure global food security.

Baoshan Xing, Distinguished Professor and director of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, considered this very issue when teaming up with fellow researchers to conduct a study revealing that the application of zinc oxide nanoparticles to rice leaves under heatwave stress increased the grain yield and nutritional quality. The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

“This research emerged from a shared concern about global climate change, its impact on agriculture, along with nanotechnology development,” Xing says. “This collaboration integrated insights from various fields, advancing the application of nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture and food security.” 

For most people, zinc oxide (ZnO) is associated with its use in sunscreen, which absorbs ultraviolet light to protect our skin. But when applied in the form of nanoparticles onto rice leaves, this compound was shown to reverse heatwave-induced transcriptomic dysregulation—a critical biological process—thereby enhancing leaf photosynthesis by 74.4%. 

In addition, the research team found that, when compared with the heatwave control, application of ZnO nanoparticles under heatwave conditions increased leaf nutrient levels, boosted the diversity, stability and enrichment of beneficial microbial taxa, and protected the phyllosphere microbial community from heat damage.  

“These advantages can be attributed to the sustained release of Zn ions from ZnO nanoparticles, both on the leaf surface and within the plant tissues, effectively meeting the dynamic spatiotemporal nutritional needs of crops,” explains Xing.  

Using ZnO as an example, this study highlights the potential of nanoparticles to promote sustainable agriculture, even under extreme climate events—a development that may prove vital in a world beset with increased food demand and unpredictable weather conditions.