Ferric Oxide Colloid: Towards Green Nano-Fertilizer for Tomato Plant with Enhanced Vegetative Growth and Immune Response Against Fusarium Wilt Disease

Abstract

Global food crisis due to climate change, pandemic COVID-19 outbreak, and Russia-Ukraine conflict leads to catastrophic consequences; almost 10 percent of the world’s population go to bed hungry daily. Narrative solution for green agriculture with high vegetation and crop yield is mandatory; novel nanomaterials can improve plant immunity and restrain plant diseases. Iron is fundamental nutrient element; it plays vital role in enzyme activity and RNA synthesis; furthermore it is involved in photosynthesis electron-transfer chains. This study reports on the facile synthesis of colloidal ferric oxide nanoparticles as novel nano-fertilizer to promote vegetation and to suppress Fusarium wilt disease in tomato plant. Disease index, protection percent, photosynthetic pigments, and metabolic indicators of resistance in plant as response to induction of systemic resistance (SR) were recorded. Results illustrated that Fe2O3 NPs had antifungal activity against F. oxysporum. Fe2O3 NPs (at 20 µg/mL) was the best treatment and reduced percent disease indexes by 15.62 and gave highly protection against disease by 82.15% relative to untreated infected plants. Fe2O3 NPs treatments in either (non-infected or infected) plants showed improvements in photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, and antioxidant enzymes activity. The beneficial effects of the synthesized Fe2O3 NPs were extended to increase not only photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes contents but also the activities of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), enzymes of the healthy and infected tomato plants in comparison with control. For, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities it was found that, application of Fe2O3 NPs (10 µg/mL) on challenged plants offered the best treatments which increased the activities of POD by (34.4%) and PPO by (31.24%). On the other hand, application of Fe2O3 NPs (20 µg/mL) on challenged plants offered the best treatments which increased the activities of CAT by (30.9%), and SOD by (31.33%).

Biostimulation of tomato growth and biocontrol of Fusarium wilt disease using certain endophytic fungi

“…The disease symptoms were observed 45 days after sowing and the disease index and plant protection were assessed using a score consisting of five classes, as Spore germination (%) = Germinated spores Total spores × 100 described in Elbasuney et al (2022) with minor modifications;…”

Biocontrol of early blight disease of eggplant using endophytic Aspergillus terreus: improving plant immunological, physiological and antifungal activities

“…Plants can induce disease resistance to a group of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms to those plants or to varieties of them (Moisan et al 2019 ). Enhancement of plant resistance may be induced by biotic and abiotic elicitors (Farrag et al 2017 ; Omer et al 2022 ; Elbasuney et al 2022 ). The soil properties depending mainly on biological profile that can highly affect on plant growth and tolerance (Khalil et al 2015 ; Eid et al 2021 ).…”

Biomedical potential of hydrothermally synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles for antifungal evaluation and cytotoxicity analysis

“…ZnO NPs synthesized by emulsion, micro‐emulsion, and direct precipitation showed potent antimycotic activity against Penicillium and Mucor fungi 57 . Recent studies have shown the antifungal activity of ZnO NPs against Fusarium oxysporum with 100% growth inhibition on the 7th day with 2 mM concentration 58 . Antifungal activity of ZnO and ZnO NPs was evaluated on Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl (Nectriaceae) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions.…”

“…57 Recent studies have shown the antifungal activity of ZnO NPs against Fusarium oxysporum with 100% growth inhibition on the 7th day with 2 mM concentration. 58 Antifungal activity of ZnO and ZnO NPs was evaluated on Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl (Nectriaceae) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. High concentrations of ZnO NPs from 1,600 to 3,000 ppm showed 81-83% growth inhibition of F.oxysporum.…”