RUDN agronomist treated fungal disease of bananas with green silver nanoparticles

RUDN University agronomist and colleagues from Iran obtained environmentally friendly silver nanoparticles from paulownia fruit. They have proven to be an effective remedy against a fungus that affects bananas and other fruit crops. In the future, this safe drug will allow abandoning harmful chemicals. The results were published in Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology.

Fusarium fungi harm many fruit crops including bananas. This fungus causes Fusarium or Panama wilt disease – it clogs the conducting channels and vessels of the plant. The infection may not be noticeable at first, but then the leaves quickly curl and die out. Fusarium threatens banana plantations and can completely deprive them of their harvest. An agronomist at RUDN University and colleagues from Iran proposed treating a fungal disease using inexpensive silver nanoparticles obtained from an extract of the paulownia fruit (Paulównia fortunei). This will allow using less chemicals and pesticides to protect plantations.

“Fusarium on bananas leads to significant crop losses. The fact is that chemical and biological treatment is a complex task with adverse consequences. Nanoparticles can be used in agriculture to control pests. Potentially, they will be able to replace a large number of conventional agricultural chemicals,” Meisam Zargar, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the RUDN University Agrobiotechnological Department said.

Agronomists obtained silver nanoparticles in a green way – from a natural extract of the paulownia fruit. Previously, the authors studied the physical properties of the resulting nanoparticles using an electron microscope and then treated fusarium with them in different concentrations – from 10 to 80 milligrams per milliliter. The fungus itself was taken from different parts of an infected banana fruit.

Paulownia fruit produced nanoparticles with an average size of 46 nanometers in the shape of polyhedra. Depending on the concentration, the particles suppressed the fungus by 14–89%. The best results were shown by a maximum concentration of 80 milligrams per milliliter. Under a microscope, damage to the fungal mycelium is visible – thread breaks, thinning, and deformation.

“We obtained green silver nanoparticles from paulownia fruits. They showed pronounced antifungal properties. Therefore, these particles can be a viable replacement for chemical control methods. In the future, we plan to study the effectiveness of these silver nanoparticles against other plant pathogens, especially those of fungal and bacterial origin,” Meisam Zargar, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the RUDN University Agrobiotechnological Department said.