The growth of the world’s population and the reduction of fertile soil areas due to global climate changes require advanced scientific solutions to increase the yield of major food crops to ensure food security. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of graphene oxide nanoparticles at different concentrations and processing methods on the linear and weight parameters of common cabbage seedlings (Brassica oleracea) of the ultra-early variety ‘Iyunska’. Physiological research methods were used to determine the morphometric parameters of plants and seed germination. Nanostructured colloidal solutions in the concentration range of 20, 50, and 70 μg/mL and two treatment methods – seed priming and root application – were used to evaluate the effect of graphene oxide. It was found that graphene oxide stimulated the germination of cabbage seeds when soaking the seeds in solutions of all the concentrations under study. The highest seed germination rate was observed in the group where a solution with a nanoparticle concentration of 20 μg/mL was used for priming. It was in this group that the seed germination rate was 83%, which significantly exceeds this indicator in the control group – 56%. Root application of graphene oxide solutions of similar concentrations did not cause significant changes in the specified indicator, which remained within the control values. In this paper, it was proved that the morphometric parameters of cabbage seedlings reacted more positively to the action of nanoparticles during seed priming in contrast to the application by irrigation. Priming cabbage seeds with different concentrations of graphene oxide caused an increase in the linear characteristics of seedlings, which was most pronounced mainly at a concentration of 20 μg/mL: the total length of plants increased by 32.8%, the length of the STEM by 26.8%, the average length of the roots by 37.7% compared to the control group. The average plant weight and root weight showed the greatest growth when treated with seeds in a graphene oxide solution with a concentration of 70 μg/mL. The only indicator that reacted negatively to nanoparticle priming is the weight of the seedling stem, which decreased at all concentrations. The use of carbon nanoparticles in crop production is a promising area of agricultural technologies, which can provide not only high seed germination rates, but also stimulate the growth and development of food crops with properly selected concentrations and processing methods
carbon nanoparticles; nanopriming; plants; seed germination; growth rates