Self-assembled nanotechnology is a promising strategy
for improving
the effective utilization of pesticides due to its distinct advantages.
Herein, an amide-bonded prodrug conjugate based on pyrimethanil (PYR)
and butyric acid (BA) was successfully synthesized by the nucleophilic
substitution reaction and subsequently self-assembled into spherical
nanoparticles (PB NPs) with an average size of 85 nm through the solvent
exchange method without using any toxic adjuvant. The results showed
that PB NPs based on PYR and BA had a synergistic antimicrobial activity
against S. sclerotiorum on plant leaves
due to good photostability, low volatilization, good surface activity,
and improved retention. Additionally, PB NPs could be used by plant
cells as nutrients to promote the growth of plants and thus reduced
the toxicity of PYR to plant. Therefore, this prodrug conjugate self-assembly
nanotechnology would provide a promising strategy for improving the
effective utilization rates of pesticides and reducing their toxicities
to plants.
Herbicides are widely used in modern agricultural production for their advantages of high efficiency, convenience, and speed. However, there have been many problems caused by herbicide formulations, such as volatilization, leaching, and rainwashing loss in the process of agricultural application. Selfassembled nanotechnology is a promising strategy to solve these existing problems due to the environmentally friendly preparation process and high delivery efficiency. In this study, the stable fluorescent nanoparticles (AP NPs) based on co-assembly of acifluorfen (ACI) and poly(salicylic acid) (PSA) are constructed by using non-covalent bond interactions. The results indicate that the obtained nanoparticles with a stable fluorescence characteristic show improved physiochemical properties, such as uniform morphology, good thermal stability, low surface tension, and high retention on plants. The co-assembly can produce singlet oxygen to enhance the herbicidal activity under irradiation of light and reduce the leaching property of ACI to minimize the adverse impact on the aquatic environment. The safety evaluation of soybean seedlings indicates that AP NPs have no damage to non-target plants. In summary, the co-assembled herbicidal nano-formulation composed of ACI and PSA has high bioactivity and low environmental risks, which can be widely used in agricultural production.
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