Prospects for the Use of Metal Nanoparticles and Chitosan Nanomaterials with Metals to Combat Phytopathogens

The review considers the prospects for the use of chitosan nanoforms with metals to combat phytopathogens. Nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides exhibit enhanced biological activity, including antifungal activity, due to their unique physical and chemical characteristics, such as their size, surface area, and charge. A number of studies, mainly in vitro, have demonstrated the inhibitory activity of metal nanoparticles and metal oxides against the growth of a number of phytopathogens. Attention is focused the use of chitosan to produce engineering nanomaterials due to a number of advantages associated primarily with the biodegradability and biocompatibility of the polymer. From a review of articles over the past 15 years, it follows that the use of nanoforms of chitosan, metals, metal oxides, and nanomaterials based on them is preferable for the suppression of phytopathogen growth.