Phytotoxic hazards of NiO-nanoparticles in tomato: A study on mechanism of cell death

► First report on mechanism of NiO-NPs induced apoptosis in tomato roots cells. ► NiO-NPs trigger the release of caspase-3 proteases from mitochondria. ► Flow cytometry data validated oxidative burst and mitochondrial dysfunction. ► NiO-NPs at varying concentrations induced imbalance in antioxidant enzymes. ► Damage to DNA signifies the toxic potential of NiO-NPs to plants.