NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOL FOR GROWTH INHIBITION OF PATHOGENS IN AGRICULTURE

ROCHA, F.; SVETAZ, L; CAMPOS BERMUDEZ VA; RIUS, S.

Congreso; 2nd International Congress on Nano and Biotechnology (ICNB2); 2023

Larrea nitida is a plant native to Argentina and its extract contains some antimicrobial agents in its composition that can be used to inhibit pathogens in agriculture. However, the extract is hydrophobic, which affects its fungicidal activity in aqueous media. In this sense, the solid dispersion technique was used to produce Larrea nitida extract nanodispersions with polyethylene glycol (PLE) and with polyethylene glycol and zinc oxide (PZLE) to increase its solubility in aqueous media. As a negative control, nanodispersions containing only PEG and zinc oxide without the addition of the extract were produced. The fungicidal activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated at a final concentration of nanodispersions of 0.037 - 0.111 g.mL-1 of water. To further assess the fungicidal property of Larrea nitida nanodispersions, this parameter was evaluated for the pristine extract diluted in water. The characterization of the nanodispersions shows that the nanoparticles were successfully produced with a nanometric size for PZ and PZLE nanodispersions. PZLE nanodispersions significantly inhibited the growth of the pathogens Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium verticillioides, possibly due to its increased solubility when compared to PLE. In general, PZLE nanodispersions present great potential to be applied as a green biotechnological tool in agriculture