pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks

<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> is one of the fungi that cause plant diseases. It damages plants by secreting large amounts of oxalic acid and cell wall-degrading enzymes. To meet this challenge, we designed a new pH/enzyme dual-responsive nanopesticide Pro@ZnO@Pectin (PZP). This nanopes...

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Main Authors: Qiongmei Mai, Yu Lu, Qianyu Cai, Jianglong Hu, Yunyou Lv, Yonglan Yang, Liqiang Wang, Yuezhao Zhou, Jie Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/14/24/2022
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author Qiongmei Mai
Yu Lu
Qianyu Cai
Jianglong Hu
Yunyou Lv
Yonglan Yang
Liqiang Wang
Yuezhao Zhou
Jie Liu
author_facet Qiongmei Mai
Yu Lu
Qianyu Cai
Jianglong Hu
Yunyou Lv
Yonglan Yang
Liqiang Wang
Yuezhao Zhou
Jie Liu
author_sort Qiongmei Mai
collection DOAJ
description <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> is one of the fungi that cause plant diseases. It damages plants by secreting large amounts of oxalic acid and cell wall-degrading enzymes. To meet this challenge, we designed a new pH/enzyme dual-responsive nanopesticide Pro@ZnO@Pectin (PZP). This nanopesticide uses zinc oxide (ZnO) as a carrier of prochloraz (Pro) and is encapsulated with pectin. When encountering oxalic acid released by <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>, the acidic environment promotes the decomposition of ZnO; at the same time, the pectinase produced by <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> can also decompose the outer pectin layer of PZP, thereby promoting the effective release of the active ingredient. Experimental data showed that PZP was able to achieve an efficient release rate of 57.25% and 68.46% when pectinase was added or under acidic conditions, respectively. In addition, in vitro tests showed that the antifungal effect of PZP was comparable to that of the commercial Pro (Pro SC) on the market, and its efficacy was 1.40 times and 1.32 times that of the Pro original drug (Pro TC), respectively. Crucially, the application of PZP significantly alleviated the detrimental impacts of Pro on wheat development. Soil wetting experiments have proved that PZP primarily remained in the soil, thereby decreasing its likelihood of contaminating water sources and reducing potential risks to non-target organisms. Moreover, PZP improved the foliar wettability of Pro, lowering the contact angle to 75.06°. Residue analyses indicated that PZP did not elevate prochloraz residue levels in tomato fruits compared to conventional applications, indicating that the nanopesticide formulation does not lead to excessive pesticide buildup. In summary, the nanopesticide PZP shows great promise for effectively managing <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> while minimizing environmental impact.
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publisher MDPI AG
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series Nanomaterials
spelling doaj-art-a77dc5e34cff4f2bb1378fba460da0df2025-08-20T02:01:11ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912024-12-011424202210.3390/nano14242022pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental RisksQiongmei Mai0Yu Lu1Qianyu Cai2Jianglong Hu3Yunyou Lv4Yonglan Yang5Liqiang Wang6Yuezhao Zhou7Jie Liu8College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> is one of the fungi that cause plant diseases. It damages plants by secreting large amounts of oxalic acid and cell wall-degrading enzymes. To meet this challenge, we designed a new pH/enzyme dual-responsive nanopesticide Pro@ZnO@Pectin (PZP). This nanopesticide uses zinc oxide (ZnO) as a carrier of prochloraz (Pro) and is encapsulated with pectin. When encountering oxalic acid released by <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>, the acidic environment promotes the decomposition of ZnO; at the same time, the pectinase produced by <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> can also decompose the outer pectin layer of PZP, thereby promoting the effective release of the active ingredient. Experimental data showed that PZP was able to achieve an efficient release rate of 57.25% and 68.46% when pectinase was added or under acidic conditions, respectively. In addition, in vitro tests showed that the antifungal effect of PZP was comparable to that of the commercial Pro (Pro SC) on the market, and its efficacy was 1.40 times and 1.32 times that of the Pro original drug (Pro TC), respectively. Crucially, the application of PZP significantly alleviated the detrimental impacts of Pro on wheat development. Soil wetting experiments have proved that PZP primarily remained in the soil, thereby decreasing its likelihood of contaminating water sources and reducing potential risks to non-target organisms. Moreover, PZP improved the foliar wettability of Pro, lowering the contact angle to 75.06°. Residue analyses indicated that PZP did not elevate prochloraz residue levels in tomato fruits compared to conventional applications, indicating that the nanopesticide formulation does not lead to excessive pesticide buildup. In summary, the nanopesticide PZP shows great promise for effectively managing <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i> while minimizing environmental impact.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/14/24/2022nanopesticidespH and enzyme dual response<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>synergistic antimicrobial activitybiosafety
spellingShingle Qiongmei Mai
Yu Lu
Qianyu Cai
Jianglong Hu
Yunyou Lv
Yonglan Yang
Liqiang Wang
Yuezhao Zhou
Jie Liu
pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
Nanomaterials
nanopesticides
pH and enzyme dual response
<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>
synergistic antimicrobial activity
biosafety
title pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
title_full pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
title_fullStr pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
title_full_unstemmed pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
title_short pH and Pectinase Dual-Responsive Zinc Oxide Core-Shell Nanopesticide: Efficient Control of Sclerotinia Disease and Reduction of Environmental Risks
title_sort ph and pectinase dual responsive zinc oxide core shell nanopesticide efficient control of sclerotinia disease and reduction of environmental risks
topic nanopesticides
pH and enzyme dual response
<i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>
synergistic antimicrobial activity
biosafety
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/14/24/2022
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