Chitosan-based compounds for plant protection against biotic stress,

MERARI TUMIN CHEVALIER; JULIETA MENDIETA; CLAUDIA CASALONGUÉ; SERGIO MARTÍN SALDAÑA; DANILA MERINO; YAMILA MANSILLA; VERA A. ALVAREZ; ALBERTO CHEVALIER

XIII EUCHIS Simposio Europeo de quitosano, VII SIAQ

Simposio; XIII EUCHIS Simposio Europeo de quitosano, VII SIAQ; 2017

Universidad de Sevilla, EUCHIS, SIAQ

Indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilizers causes environmental pollution, emergence of agriculturalpests and pathogens, and loss of biodiversity. Current efforts are focused on the research of environmental eco-friendly alternatives for protection of plants against stress. In this context, the use of matrices for controlled bioactive compounds release is a promising alternative. In this work we focused on the preparation and characterization of chitosan-based systems (ChBS) to design new non-toxic agrochemical formulations. The chitosan used in this study was obtained from crustacean exoskeletons and provided by Laboratorios Químicos SRL Gihon Company. ChBS were prepared and characterized by UV/VIS-spectroscopy and optical microscopy. Currently, chemical (by Infrared Spectroscopy: FTIR), thermal (by thermogravimetric analysis: TGA) and morphological (by scanning electron microscopy: SEM) assays are being performed. Furthermore, to get insight into the action of ChBS on plants chitinase isoforms as defense marker proteins were analyzed by western blot assays. Compared with controls, tomato-treated leaves evidenced high accumulation of chitinases, suggesting that ChBS could be a powerful elicitor to be applied for triggering plant innate defenses against pathogens in the field.