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Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Soybean Hairy Root Transformation for the Analysis of Gene Function
Published on: May 5, 2023
Advanced material modulation of nutritional and phytohormone status alleviates damage from soybean sudden death
Chuanxin Ma1,2, Jaya Borgatta1, Blake Geoffrey Hudson3
1The Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Abstract:
Customized Cu3(PO4)2 and CuO nanosheets and commercial CuO nanoparticles were investigated for micronutrient delivery and suppression of soybean sudden death syndrome. An ab initio thermodynamics approach modelled how material morphology and matrix effects control the nutrient release. Infection reduced the biomass and photosynthesis by 70.3 and 60%, respectively; the foliar application of nanoscale Cu reversed this damage. Disease-induced changes in the antioxidant enzyme activity and fatty acid profile were also alleviated by Cu amendment. The transcription of two dozen defence- and health-related genes correlates a nanoscale Cu-enhanced innate disease response to reduced pathogenicity and increased growth. Cu-based nanosheets exhibited a greater disease suppression than that of CuO nanoparticles due to a greater leaf surface affinity and Cu dissolution, as determined computationally and experimentally. The findings highlight the importance and tunability of nanomaterial properties, such as morphology, composition and dissolution. The early seedling foliar application of nanoscale Cu to modulate nutrition and enhance immunity offers a great potential for sustainable agriculture.
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