Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
counts in
99 % within 2 h (Pangule et al.
2010
). This material may have important
application for decontamination of surfaces, preventing the risk of staphylococci
infection and biofouling of surfaces.
>
6.4 Conclusions
The use of nanobiotechnology in agriculture has started, and several tools are now
available for development of this area. Many potential applications have been
proposed, and many opportunities remain still unexplored. In the particular case
of antimicrobial agents, a number of nanostructures could be useful to allow a more
efficient delivery, allowing the combat of plant, food, and animal pathogens. The
use of nanostructured antimicrobials could also reduce the toxicity of the chemicals
used on the crops or food. Smart target-specific nanoparticles containing antimi-
crobial agents could be designed for use in living systems. The applied
nanoencapsulated antimicrobial would be systemically distributed in the plant,
avoiding phytotoxicity and/or detoxification problems. The system could be pre-
pared to release the antimicrobial only when the nanoparticle reaches the target
microorganism or just some time after application. This implies that lower doses of
drugs would be necessary, since they would not be degraded by the plant and they
would accumulate in the infection point due to the target delivery. Multiple ligands,
such as proteins, carbohydrates, or antibodies, can be added to the surface to direct
the nanoparticle toward the specific target (Suri et al.
2007
).
The application of antifungal agents could be improved by encapsulation. In
most cases, multiple fungicide applications are required to achieve an adequate
control or significant grain yields (Salam et al.
2013
). As suggested for herbicides
(P
´
rez-de-Luque and Rubiales
2009
), the nanostructured fungicide could be slowly
released during the crop season, allowing a better control with a single application
and with lower fungicide dose, also avoiding any further residual effect. Encapsu-
lated fungicides could be also applied as seed coatings, preventing the multiple
treatments needed for regular fungicides.
Nanoformulations may permit the utilization of antimicrobials that usually
cannot be applied systemically (e.g., contact fungicides) to combat microbial
plant pathogens, improving the effectiveness of each single treatment and reducing
the drug amount to be delivered. In addition, substances with different modes of
action could be used to develop antimicrobial nanoparticles, which could be applied
separately and their contents released only after absorption. This strategy may be
useful to achieve a synergistic effect, improving the efficacy of the treatment.
Nanobiotechnology can be also useful to provide plant resistance to pathogens
through genetic transformation. A nanoparticle could be designed to transport DNA
or RNA that stimulate defense responses in plants after being activated by an
invading pathogen, allowing control before the crop was damaged (P´rez-de-
Luque and Rubiales
2009
). RNA encoding the activation of some resistance
mechanisms, such as expression of defense enzymes or synthesis of antimicrobial
