Education

UTEP researcher helps develops low-cost spray to save tomato plants from salty soil

Hamidreza Sharifan, Ph.D. (right), an assistant professor of chemistry at UTEP, served as the corresponding author of a study that found a low-dose leaf spray combining manganese oxide nanoparticles and chitosan could give farmers around the world a practical new tool to keep growing tomatoes on land that salt has rendered increasingly unproductive. The UTEP research team also included doctoral student Nusrat Easmin (center) and Luis Salmeron Covarrubias, a graduate student in environmental engineering (left). — UTEP

Published July 27, 2026 2:35 PM

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Tomatoes are one of the most grown vegetables on Earth, according to the University of Texas at El Paso. Salty soil can threaten its growth, and a UTEP researcher helped develop a low-cost spray to save them.

According to UTEP, Hamidreza Sharifan, an assistant professor of chemistry at UTEP, said salinity is a threat to global food security, and growers need solutions to use in their fields.

High levels of salt in soil can stop plant roots from absorbing water, which can slow down photosynthesis, UTEP said. Excess salt can also be toxic to plants.

The research team at UTEP said soil salinity affects more than 3.2 million square miles of land globally. That's roughly the size of Australia or Brazil.

The research team made a solution to spray on plant leaves that includes a natural polymer from crustacean shells.

While trying the spray, researchers said it reversed damage salty soil made on tomato plants.

"What makes this approach exciting is that it is low-cost, sustainable and effective at very small doses.” Sharifan said. “We are giving plants the tools to protect themselves instead of fighting the salt head-on."

UTEP said researchers tested the spray on tomato plants exposed to moderate and severe salt levels. Under the highest conditions, the treatment increased root wright by more than 55% compared to untreated plants.

Additionally, the solution reportedly lowered chemical markers of cellular damage, UTEP said.

Nusrat Easmin, a doctoral student in environmental science and engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso, was part of the research team behind a study that found a low-dose leaf spray combining manganese oxide nanoparticles and chitosan could give farmers around the world a practical new tool to keep growing tomatoes on land that salt has rendered increasingly unproductive. Hamidreza Sharifan, Ph.D. (not pictured), an assistant professor of chemistry at UTEP, served as the corresponding author of the study.
(Courtesy: UTEP)

The team said it tested the solution in controlled greenhouse conditions, and field trials are needed to confirm the spray's efficiency at scale.

The team also said it needs future studies to see how the spray affects soil health and the environment.

Researchers published their findings in the International Journal of Phytoremediation.

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