Kanpur, Feb 25 (IANS) A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, has developed a novel nanoparticle-based Bio-Degradable-Carbonoid-Metabolite (BioDCM) that can protect agricultural crops from fungal and bacterial infections.
The technology is a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in agricultural fields, especially for rice crops.
This is a biodegradable nanoparticle system made with a metabolite that comes from Trichoderma asperellum Strain TALK1, a common soil fungus. Metabolite is the end product of metabolism, which is the process of turning food into energy.
This metabolite that was extracted can be used as an effective organic antimicrobial agent and a carbonaceous degradable covering to protect crops from diseases and improve the soil, respectively.
“The invention of these novel nanoparticles would lessen the worries of crop infection and give a boost to crop yield,” said Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, in a statement.
Some key advantages of the invention include precise target action, being active at low concentrations, and having similar advantages to chemical pesticides but being safe and biodegradable, unlike them.
The bio-formulation is of a non-toxic nature, eco-friendly, easily degradable, and is established to be a potent natural inhibitor for suppressing the growth and development of soil-based plant pathogens, including fungi and bacteria.
It helps the crops defend themselves by eliciting defence and meeting the level of competition for better productivity.
The invention also helps in overcoming some shortcomings, such as less control over bioavailability, premature degradation, and absorption by the crops, thus making it a feasible option for farmers, the researchers said.
