Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are a significant food crop cultivated around the world. Caffeic acid (CA) can enhance plant growth by promoting antioxidant activity and stimulating root development, contributing to overall plant health and vigor. Cobalt sulfate (CoSO4) boosts plant growth by promoting nitrogen (N) fixation, healthier root development, and chlorophyll synthesis, enhancing photosynthesis and overall plant health. Nanoparticle-coated urea (NPCU) improves nutrient uptake, promoting plant growth efficiency and reducing environmental impact. This study investigates the effects of combining CA, CoSO4, and NPCU as amendments on potatoes with and without NPCU. Four treatments, control, 20 μM CA, 0.15 mg/L CoSO4, and 20 μM CA + 0.15 mg/L CoSO4 with and without NPCU, were applied in four replications using a completely randomized design. Results demonstrate that the combination of CA + CoSO4 with NPCU led to an increase in potato stem length (~ 6%), shoot dry weight (~ 15%), root dry weight (~ 9%), and leaf dry weight (~ 49%) compared to the control in nutrient stress. There was a significant rise in chlorophyll a (~ 27%), chlorophyll b (~ 37%), and total chlorophyll (~ 28%) over the control under nutrient stress also showed the potential of CA + CoSO4 with NPCU. In conclusion, the findings suggest that applying CA + CoSO4 with NPCU is a strategy for alleviating potato nutrient stress.

Department of Agronomy Abdul Walikhan University Mardan Mardan Pakistan

Department of Botany and Microbiology College of Science King Saud University P O Box 2455 11451 Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Department of Botany Hindu College Moradabad Bareilly 244001 India

Department of Environmental Sciences Woman University Multan Multan Punjab Pakistan

Department of Geology and Pedology Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno Zemedelska 1 61300 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Pediatrics College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital King Saud University Medical City PO Box 2925 1146 Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Department of Plant Physiology and Metabolomics Agricultural Institute HUN REN Centre for Agricultural Research Martonvásár 2462 Hungary

Pesticide Quality Control Laboratory Agriculture Complex Old Shujabad Road Multan Punjab Pakistan

Soil and Water Testing Laboratory Khanewal 58150 Punjab Pakistan

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