Effect of methods application of copper nanoparticles in the growth of avocado plants.

The aim of this greenhouse study was to evaluate root irrigation, foliar spray, and stem injection in order to find the best method for the nanofertilization of avocado plants with green synthesized CuNPs. One-year-old avocado plants were supplied four times (every 15 days) with 0.25 and 0.50 mg/ml of CuNPs through the three fertilization methods. Stem growth and new leaf formation were evaluated over time and after 60 days of CuNPs exposure, several plant traits (root growth, fresh and dry biomass, plant water content, cytotoxicity, photosynthetic pigments, and total Cu accumulation in plant tissues) were evaluated for CuNPs improvement. Regarding the control treatment, stem growth and new leaf appearance were increased by 25 % and 85 %, respectively, by the CuNPs supply methods of foliar spray>stem injection>root irrigation, with little significant differences among NPs concentrations. Avocado plants supplied with 0.25 and 0.50 mg/ml CuNPs maintained a hydric balance and cell viability ranged from 91 to 96 % through the three NPs application methods. TEM did not reveal any ultrastructural organelle changes induced by CuNPs in leaf tissues. The concentrations of CuNPs tested were not high enough to exert deleterious effects on the photosynthetic machinery of avocado plants, but photosynthetic efficiency was also found to be improved. The foliar spray method showed improved uptake and translocation of CuNPs, with almost no loss of Cu. In general, the improvement in plant traits indicated that the foliar spray method was the best for nanofertilization of avocado plants with CuNPs.

Antifungal Effect of Copper Nanoparticles against Fusarium kuroshium, an Obligate Symbiont of Euwallacea kuroshio Ambrosia Beetle.

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) have shown great antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi, making them a promising and affordable alternative to conventional fungicides. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal activity of Cu-NPs against Fusarium kuroshium, the causal agent of Fusarium dieback, and this might be the first study to do so. The Cu-NPs (at different concentrations) inhibited more than 80% of F. kuroshium growth and were even more efficient than a commercial fungicide used as a positive control (cupric hydroxide). Electron microscopy studies revealed dramatic damage caused by Cu-NPs, mainly in the hyphae surface and in the characteristic form of macroconidia. This damage was visible only 3 days post inoculation with used treatments. At a molecular level, the RNA-seq study suggested that this growth inhibition and colony morphology changes are a result of a reduced ergosterol biosynthesis caused by free cytosolic copper ions. Furthermore, transcriptional responses also revealed that the low- and high-affinity copper transporter modulation and the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) are only a few of the distinct detoxification mechanisms that, in its conjunction, F. kuroshium uses to counteract the toxicity caused by the reduced copper ion.

Photocatalytic properties of Cu-containing ZnO nanoparticles and their antifungal activity against agriculture-pathogenic fungus.

In this work, nanoparticles (NPs) of ZnO, ZnO with Cu incorporated at 2 and 30 wt%, and CuO were prepared by the hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction pattern (DRX) analysis showed that ZnO with high Cu incorporation (30 wt%) generates the formation of a composite oxide (ZnO/CuO), while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the Cu (2 wt%) sample indicated that Cu is incorporated as a dopant (ZnO/Cu2%). The samples with Cu incorporated had enhanced visible light absorption. Methyl orange (MO) dye was used to perform photocatalytic tests under UV radiation. The antifungal activity of the NPs was tested against four agricultural phytopathogenic fungi: Neofusicoccum arbuti, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium solani, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The ZnO/Cu2% nanoparticles showed adequate photocatalytic and high antifungal activity in comparison to pure oxides and the composite sample.

Aqueous-phase synthesis of nanoparticles of copper/copper oxides and their antifungal effect against Fusarium oxysporum.

Different copper based-materials have been used for controlling some fungal and bacterial pathogens. However, the antifungal activity of the copper-based materials depends on different parameters, such as the crystal phase, synthesis route, and size of the particles. Herein a facile route synthesis method of Cu/CuxO-NPs was achieved through the aqueous phase. The influence of NaBH4 concentration on the phase composition was studied. The synthesized Cu/CuxO-NPs were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering. Five Cu/CuxO-NPs with different phase composition and nanoparticle size were obtained. The antifungal activity of the synthesized Cu/CuxO-NPs was studied in vitro against Fusarium oxysporum. The results indicate that a high percent of inhibition of radial growth (IGR) was obtained with NPs, which have a higher proportion of Cu2O phase and relatively smaller size particles. Furthermore, hypha morphology, membrane damage and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated with SEM and confocal microscopy.

Green-synthesized copper nanoparticles as a potential antifungal against plant pathogens.

The fabrication of fungicides in cost-effective and eco-friendly ways is particularly important for agriculture. Plant pathogenic fungi produce many economic and ecological problems worldwide, which must be controlled with potent fungicides. Here we propose the green synthesis of fungicides, which consist of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) prepared in aqueous media. Through in vitro experiments, the antifungal efficacy against Fusarium solani, Neofusicoccum sp., and Fusarium oxysporum was investigated. Although the antifungal activity differs for each fungal species, it was found that the Cu-NPs induce strong morphological changes in the mycelium. Additionally, the damage of the cell membranes of the pathogens was revealed by microscopic observations. For the three evaluated fungi, fluorescence microscopy demonstrated the intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species in the mycelium. This work proves that the green-synthesized Cu-NPs are potential fungicides against F. solani, Neofusicoccum sp., and F. oxysporum.

Effects of hematite and ferrihydrite nanoparticles on germination and growth of maize seedlings.

Engineered iron oxide nanoparticles (IO-NPs) have been used extensively for environmental remediation. It may cause the release IO-NPs to the environment affecting the functions of ecosystems. Plants are an important component of ecosystems and can be used for the evaluation of overall fate, transport and exposure pathways of IO-NPs in the environment. In this work, the effects of engineered ferrihydrite and hematite NPs on the germination and growth of maize are studied. The germination and growth of maize were done with treatments at different concentrations of hematite and ferrihydrite NPs, namely 1, 2, 4, and 6 g/L. Biological indicators of toxicity or stress in maize seedlings were not observed in treatments with engineered hematite and ferrihydrite NPs. In contrast, the NPs treatments increased the growth of maize and the chlorophyll content, except for hematite NPs at 6 g/L, where non-significant effects were found. The translocation of engineered ferrihydrite and hematite NPs in maize stems was demonstrated using confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Effect of magnetite nanoparticles on the germination and early growth of Quercus macdougallii.

The present study measures the effect of citrate-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) on the germination and early growth of Quercus macdougallii (oak). Two types of Fe3O4-NPs were synthetized and characterized, being denominated NP1 and NP2. The synthesis was performed by the co-precipitation method and partial reduction of iron(II), respectively. It was found that the NP1 has a quasi-spherical morphology, with sizes of 6-10nm, while the NP2 has sizes between 65 and 160nm. It was demonstrated that the Fe3O4-NPs exhibit peroxidase-like catalytic activity. Experiments of germination and growth of Quercus macdougallii were performed using the synthesized Fe3O4-NPs treatments and a deionized water control. The experiments were performed in intact and peeled acorns. The application of the NPs increased the germination up to 33% in relation to the control. Additionally, the Fe3O4-NPs treatments increased the growth, dry biomass, and chlorophyll concentration. The data obtained in this study suggest that Fe3O4-NPs treatments could be potentially used to improve conservation and reforestation of threatened forestry species.

Capacidad entomocida de cepas nativas de Beauveria sp. sobre Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana (Lynch Arribalzaga, 1903) / Entomocidal ability of native strains Beauveria sp. on Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana (Lynch Arribalzaga, 1903)

Cuatro cepas de Beauveria sp. (ABvPr11, ABvPr8, ABvPr3 y ABvSr4), fueron aisladas y caracterizadas de ejemplares de la langosta Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana procedentes de la Provincia de Huamanga del Departamento de Ayacucho. La capacidad entomocida de las 4 cepas fue evaluada en la langosta Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana. Los resultados muestran que todas las cepas, en soluciones de 108 conidias/mL, producen un 100 por ciento de mortalidad. El tiempo que se necesitó para eliminar el 100 por ciento de las langostas, para las cepas ABvPr11, ABvPr8, ABvSr4 y ABvPr3 fue de 12, 14 y 16 días respectivamente. Al décimo día se observó diferencias significativas respecto a la mortalidad, entre la cepa ABvPr11(90 por ciento) y la cepas ABvSr4(74 por ciento), ABvPr8(72 por ciento) y ABvPr3(64.6 por ciento). Posteriormente se determinó el tiempo de letalidad al 50 por ciento (TL50) de la población de langostas, con un intervalo de 8,38 a 9,16 días y el tiempo de letalidad al 80 por ciento (TL80) fue de 9,6 a 11,5 días. La cepa ABvPr11 presentó la mayor actividad entomocida para el control de Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana L.A.

Four strains of Beauveria sp. (ABvPr11, ABvPr8, ABvPr3, ABvSr4), that were found in the locust Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana from Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru, were isolated and morphologically characterized. Entomicidal activities of four strains were evaluated on the locust. Results showed that all the strains producing 100 per cent mortality when using solutions of 108 conidias/mL. The time for 100 per cent mortalities of the strains ABvPr11, ABvPr8, ABvSr4 y ABvPr3 were 12, 14, 14 y 16 days respectively. In the tenth day significant differences were observed between the mortality of the strains ABvPr11 (90 per cent) and ABvSr4 (74 per cent), ABvPr8 (72 per cent), ABvPr3 (64,6 per cent). Lethality time was determinate for the 50 per cent (TL50) of the locust population: ranging from 8,38 to 9,16 days. Lethality time for the 80 per cent (TL80) ranged from 9,6 to 11,5 days. The ABvPr11 strain presented the highest biocidal activity for the Schistocerca piceifrons peruviana L.A.