A super absorbent polymer containing copper to control Plenodomus tracheiphilus the causative agent of mal secco disease of lemon

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Super absorbent polymer (SAP) containing copper (SAP-Cu) in controlling mal secco disease (MSD) of lemon caused by the fungus Plenodomus tracheiphilus. Super absorbent polymer containing copper was characterized by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and UV-VIS spectroscopy. In vitro tests were performed to determine the inhibitory effects of SAP-Cu against the pathogen on both potato-dextrose-agar medium and naturally infected lemon cuttings. Super absorbent polymer was able to absorb up to about 200 and 30 times its weight of ionized water and copper (II) sulfate solution (Cu2+ ions at the concentration 236 mM), respectively. The distribution of copper released on twigs after 24 h of contact with SAP-Cu was determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry with time-of-flight analyzer (ToF-SIMS). Super absorbent polymer containing copper significantly inhibited the viability of P. tracheiphilus in lemon twigs. Overall, the results of this study showed that the SAP could be a suitable carrier of antifungal compounds.

Microencapsulation of Bacillus Strains for Improving Wheat (Triticum turgidum Subsp. durum) Growth and Development

“…In recent decades, new formulations have been exploited in agriculture for several purposes, including the application of plant-beneficial organisms, improving water use efficiency, enhancing seed germination, or delivering agrochemicals such as fertilizers or fungicides [ 30 , 31 ]. Bacterial strains in the present study have been reported as promising PGPR in studies of cells in a liquid formulation.…”

Antifungal activity of selected lactic acid bacteria from olive drupes

“…Those isolates were sourced from the collection of the Molecular Plant Pathology laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Catania University, Italy, the Colección Española de Cultivos Tipo (CECT), Valencia University, Spain, and ITEM Collection from Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari (ISPA), National Research Council, Bari, Italy. Most of them were characterized in previous studies (El boumlasy et al, 2022; La Spada et al, 2021; Carlos Luz et al, 2021; Migheli et al, 2009; Riolo et al, 2020, 2021, 2022).…”

“…To evaluate the antifungal activity of isolates, LABs were tested in vitro against pathogenic fungi s.l., i.e. Most of them were characterized in previous studies (El boumlasy et al, 2022;La Spada et al, 2021;Carlos Luz et al, 2021;Migheli et al, 2009;Riolo et al, 2020Riolo et al, , 2021Riolo et al, , 2022.…”

Green solutions and new technologies for sustainable management of fungus and oomycete diseases in the citrus fruit supply chain

“…Spraying with authorized copper-based fungicides are also carried out, especially on young plants from nurseries (Abbate et al 2019). However, these treatments are causing concerns related to the long-lasting persistence of copper in the environment with the consequent toxic effects toward plants, animals and soil microbiota, and related to the contamination of food (Abbate et al 2019;El Boumlasy et al 2022). In this respect, a new promising super absorbent polymer (SAP) has been shown to act as an efficient reservoir for the controlled release of copper, specifically in the treatment of pruning cuts of lemon twigs affected by the Mal Secco.…”