UTEP leaf spray mitigates soil salinity

Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso have created a low‑cost leaf spray that combines manganese‑oxide nanoparticles with chitosan derived from crustacean shells. The formulation is applied directly to tomato foliage, allowing the plants to tolerate high soil salinity without removing salt from the ground.

Initial greenhouse trials reported that treated tomato plants doubled fresh shoot weight, increased root weight by more than 55 %, and showed higher chlorophyll and carotenoid levels. A subsequent report highlighted the same results, adding that photosynthetic pigment content rose by 91 % and stress‑relief enzyme activity increased up to 300 %. Both accounts suggest the spray could be scaled for larger greenhouse operations, offering a potential tool for farmers confronting water scarcity and salinization of irrigated land.

Further field testing, economic analysis, and long‑term safety assessments are still required before commercial deployment.