Redox/pH Dual-Responsive Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Intelligent Pesticide Release and Visualization in Gray Mold...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Nanotechnology
• Plant Pathology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Pesticide delivery systems often face challenges in utilization efficacy, plant uptake, and translocation.
• Intelligent nanoformulations offer potential solutions for enhanced pesticide performance and targeted delivery.
• Controlling plant diseases like Botrytis cinerea requires effective and efficient pesticide application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a redox/pH-triggered, fluorescent smart delivery nanoformulation for pesticides.
• To load and evaluate the controlled release and efficacy of boscalid using the developed nanoformulation (Boscalid@HMONs@ZnO).
• To investigate the real-time translocation of the nanoformulation within tomato plants.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a nanoformulation using hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) as a nanocarrier and ZnO quantum dots as a capping agent.
• Loading of the fungicide boscalid onto the HMONs@ZnO nanocarrier.
• In vitro release studies under different pH and glutathione conditions, antifungal efficacy tests, pot experiments, and confocal laser scanning microscopy for plant translocation studies.

Main Results:

• The Boscalid@HMONs@ZnO nanoformulation exhibited significantly higher boscalid release in glutathione (1.3-fold) and acidic (pH 3.0, 1.9-fold) environments compared to neutral conditions.
• The nanoformulation showed a 1.7-fold higher toxicity index against Botrytis cinerea than technical boscalid and demonstrated over 1.27-fold enhanced efficacy in pot experiments compared to commercial formulations.
• Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed effective transport and translocation of the fluorescent HMONs@ZnO via leaves and roots in tomato plants.

Conclusions:

• The developed redox/pH-triggered, fluorescent smart delivery nanoformulation (HMONs@ZnO) successfully enhanced the efficacy of boscalid for controlling Botrytis cinerea.
• The nanoformulation facilitates real-time monitoring of pesticide translocation in plants due to its intrinsic fluorescence.
• This study highlights the potential of HMONs@ZnO as a nanocarrier for disease control and offers a method for tracking pesticide movement in plants.