Phytosynthesis of organo-metallic silver nanoparticles and their anti-phytopathogenic potency against soil borne Fusarium spp.

Nanomaterials are the acme of research in quest for novel antimicrobial agents. Current study focuses on phytological synthesis of AgNPs using aqueous leaf extract of Justicia peploides and Withania coagulans. Techniques like UV-visible spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were carried out for characterization and confirmation of synthesized AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited maximum absorption peaks between 410-435 nm for different concentrations of silver nanoparticles, the x-ray diffraction patterns showed that the nanoparticles were crystalline in nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the conversion of metallic ions to nanoparticles due to simultaneous reduction and capping by phytochemicals. The Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that the nanoparticles are of various shapes. Soil borne plant pathogens causes devastating losses to crop production annually. The biggest contributors to these losses are fungal phytopathogens. Availability of very few options in the shape of antifungal agents and chances of development of antibiotic resistance is a major constraint in efficient control of plant pathogens. Unlike human pathogenic fungi, the potentials of biosynthesized nanoparticles against phytopathogenic fungi is a less explored area. To the best of our knowledge, phytopathogenic fungal strains like Fusarium lateritum and Fusarium phylophillum have never been tested for their susceptibility against nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were therefore used against Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Fusarium lateritum and Fusarium phylophillum to check for their anti-phytopathogenic capabilities so that they may add to the list of possible solutions in mitigating the issue of plant diseases.