Proline content in sugar beet leaves.

<p>Different letters indicate significant differences between treatments according to Fisher’s test (p < 0.05), representing the means of three independent measurements ± SD.</p

CAT, APx, GPx and GST activities in the leaves (A) and roots (B) of sugar beets after exposure to drought stress.

<p>*dark bars–<i>Control</i>, light gray bars—<i>Drought 1</i>, gray bars—<i>Drought 2</i>. Enzymes activities are expressed in units of enzyme activity per milligram of protein. Different letters in the same chart indicate significant differences between treatments according to Fisher’s test (p < 0.05), representing the means of three independent measurements ± SD.</p

Photosynthetic and transpiration rate of treated plants.

<p>Photosynthetic and transpiration rate of treated plants.</p

TEM image of FNP solution.

<p>TEM image of FNP solution.</p

FNP particle size distribution measurements by DLS.

<p>DLS size distributions for FNPs at 2 concentrations and time points: 700 μmol/L FNP (black line-30 min, blue line-24h); 70 μmol/L FNP (red line-30 min, green line-24h).</p

Soil chemical properties.

<p>Soil chemical properties.</p

Malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content in the leaves (A) and roots (B) of sugar beets after exposure to drought stress.

<p>*dark bars–<i>Control</i>, light gray bars—<i>Drought 1</i>, gray bars—<i>Drought 2</i>. MDA and GSH contents are expressed per milligram of protein. Different letters in the same chart indicate significant differences between treatments according to Fisher’s test (p < 0.05), representing the means of three independent measurements ± SD.</p

Zeta potential measurements of FNP solutions.

<p>FNP concentrations of 700 μmol/L (green line) and 70 μmol/L (red line) were analysed 30 minutes after sonication.</p

Fresh weight of leaves and roots and saccharose content in roots.

<p>Fresh weight of leaves and roots and saccharose content in roots.</p

Soil mechanical composition.

<p>Soil mechanical composition.</p