Application of nickel chitosan nanoconjugate as an antifungal agent for combating Fusarium rot of wheat

Abstract

Agro-researchers are endlessly trying to derive a potential biomolecule having antifungal properties in order to replace the application of synthetic fungicides on agricultural fields. Rot disease often caused by Fusarium solani made severe loss of wheat crops every year. Chitosan and its metallic nano-derivatives hold a broad-spectrum antifungal property. Our interdisciplinary study deals with the application of nickel chitosan nanoconjugate (NiCNC) against Fusarium rot of wheat, in comparison with chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) and commercial fungicide Mancozeb. CNPs and NiCNC were characterized on the basis of UV–Vis spectrophotometry, HR-TEM, FESEM, EDXS and FT-IR. Both CNPs and NiCNC were found effective against the fungal growth, of which NiCNC at 0.04 mg/mL showed complete termination of F. solani grown in suitable medium. Ultrastructural analysis of F. solani conidia treated with NiCNC revealed pronounced damages and disruption of the membrane surface. Fluorescence microscopic study revealed generation of oxidative stress in the fungal system upon NiCNC exposure. Moreover, NiCNC showed reduction in rot disease incidence by 83.33% of wheat seedlings which was further confirmed through the observation of anatomical sections of the stem. NiCNC application helps the seedling to overcome the adverse effect of pathogen, which was evaluated through stress indices attributes.

Application of Cystoseira myrica phycosynthesized selenium nanoparticles incorporated with nano‐chitosan to control aflatoxigenic fungi in fish feed

“…To assess the reliable antifungal effect of NCs, different fungal isolates from Aspergillus flavus were identified and obtained from the Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al-Azhar University, Egypt to be employed in the current investigation, as diverse fungal isolates can exhibit different responses to challenging nanomaterials. 14,[20][21][22] The isolates included A. flavus-CI (isolated from corn) and A. flavus-PI (isolated from peanut), in addition to A. flavus ATCC 22546 (standard strain). The fungal strains were propagated aerobically onto PDA at 25 ± 2 °C.…”

“…Numerous postharvest pathogens have been shown to be susceptible to NCt and its parent Ct's antifungal properties; the precise mechanisms of action are still unknown, but it has been hypothesized that the positively charged NCt can attach to hyphal walls, interact with fungal membranes and penetrate inside of these membranes to inhibit/disrupt the fungal biosystems and cause their lysis. [18][19][20][21] The CE/SeNPs are suggested to disrupt fungal mycelia because of their synergistic biocidal actions. 19,20 The destruction/lysis of Botrytis cinerea mycelia was observed previously, after exposure to nanosized Ag-Ct composite, 29 which supports the currently obtained result.…”

“…SeNPs), maximize their microbicidal potentialities, provide sustained release of them and promisingly diminish their biotoxicity toward humans. 18,20,21 The entrapment of SeNPs within NCt matrix was validated to generate effectual and enhanced antifungal nanocomposites (NCs) that could be safely used in the protection of crops, food and feed from fungal invasion. 9,14,22 Accordingly, the investigation reported here targeted the phycosynthesis of SeNPs using C. myrica extract and their nanoconjugation with NCt to fabricate potential antifungal NCs against mycotoxigenic Aspergillus flavus in fish feed.…”

Physiological and Molecular Effects of Calcium and Salicylic Acid on Fusarium graminearum-Infected Wheat Seedlings

“…Fungal infections are a persistent global danger to crop production and food security. Fusarium species are one of the most common fungal infections in small grain cereals, causing extensive damage (Pereyra et al 2004;Chouhan et al 2022). Fusarium head blight (FHB), seedling blight, and Fusarium crown and foot brown rots (FCFR) are the most important diseases in wheat caused by Fusarium graminearum (AL Masri et al 2017;Zheng et al 2022).…”

Antifungal Efficacy of Cu-Based Nano-Chitosan on Rhizopus stolonifer, A Virulent Phytopathogen

“…In this context, nanotechnology has opened up new avenues for the management of crop diseases. Nanoparticles derived from a biological macromolecule-chitosan and its metal derivatives are known to inhibit a maximum number of fungal pathogens (Chouhan et al, 2022). CU nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) hold worldwide attention due to their broad array of antimicrobial properties.…”