Engineered Metal Oxide Nanoparticles as Fungicides for Plant Disease Control

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticles are considered to be good alternatives as fungicides for plant disease control. To date, numerous metal oxide nanoparticles have been produced and evaluated as promising antifungal agents. Consequently, a detailed and critical review on the use of mono-, bi-, and tri-metal oxide nanoparticles for controlling phytopathogenic fungi is presented. Among the studied metal oxide nanoparticles, mono-metal oxide nanoparticles—particularly ZnO nanoparticles, followed by CuO nanoparticles —are the most investigated for controlling phytopathogenic fungi. Limited studies have investigated the use of bi- and tri-metal oxide nanoparticles for controlling phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, more studies on these nanoparticles are required. Most of the evaluations have been carried out under in vitro conditions. Thus, it is necessary to develop more detailed studies under in vivo conditions. Interestingly, biological synthesis of nanoparticles has been established as a good alternative to produce metal oxide nanoparticles for controlling phytopathogenic fungi. Although there have been great advances in the use of metal oxide nanoparticles as novel antifungal agents for sustainable agriculture, there are still areas that require further improvement.

Green Synthesis, Characterization, and Antifungal Efficiency of Biogenic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

“…Interestingly, the phytosynthesized IONPs revealed a higher antifungal efficiency against the tested strain compared to the commercial fungicide of metalaxyl + mancozeb at low concentrations of 50 and 100 ppm, indicating their possible application of these nanoparticles as alternative to the chemically synthesized fungicides and avoiding their harmful impact on the environment [69]. Furthermore, the utilization of the biogenic IONPs presents a potential solution to address the issue of fungal resistance resulting from the excessive application of chemical fungicides [70,71]. A prior investigation has provided evidence that the first stage in which the biogenic IONPs exhibit antifungal effectiveness is attributed to their disruption of the cell envelope, which plays a crucial function in fungal cells.…”

Modification of Tomato Photosystem II Photochemistry with Engineered Zinc Oxide Nanorods

“…The application of ZnO NPs can enhance crop yield, providing an effective solution for nutrient supplementation in farming systems, and these NPs were characterized as a novel alternative for sustainable agricultural development [11,12]. It has been proposed that ZnO NPs can be used as photosynthetic biostimulants for enhancing crop yields [13], as they possess insecticidal [14], antifungal [15], and antibacterial properties [16]. The impact of ZnO NPs on metabolic attributes and the photosynthetic function of rice seedlings in hydroponic culture was found to be concentration-dependent when improving the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the plants [17].…”