Scholarlink

Background <p>Encapsulation of biological control agents improves targeted delivery, stability, and sustained release, thereby enhancing their effectiveness in foliar disease management. Nanocarrier-based delivery systems using natural polymers provide an eco-friendly and economical alternative to chemical pesticides. The present study aimed to develop a nano-coacervate based delivery system for <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i> (Th4d) using complex coacervation and to evaluate its physicochemical properties, storage stability, antifungal activity, and disease management efficiency.</p> Results <p>A chitosan–lignosulphonate nano-coacervate was successfully synthesized through a complex coacervation technique. The developed nano-coacervate exhibited semicrystalline characteristics with an average particle size of 43.33&#xa0;nm. The particles ranged from spherical to oblong shapes with irregular surface topology. The formulation demonstrated high entrapment efficiency (99.4%) and provided sustained release of <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i> spores. The encapsulated spores remained viable for up to six months, indicating good storage stability. In vitro studies showed significant inhibition of spore germination of foliar fungal pathogens. Pot culture experiments revealed that the nano-coacervate formulation significantly reduced the incidence of powdery mildew in sunflower and leaf spot disease in groundnut compared to untreated controls. Additionally, the formulation enhanced the persistence of <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i> on the leaf surface for up to 15&#xa0;days after spraying and induced systemic resistance responses in treated plants.</p> Conclusions <p>The developed chitosan–lignosulphonate nano-coacervate-based delivery system demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency, prolonged shelf life, sustained release, and improved antifungal efficacy of <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i>. The formulation enhanced phylloplane persistence and effectively reduced foliar disease incidence in crops. These findings suggest that the developed nano-coacervate system can serve as a promising and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional chemical fungicides for managing foliar plant diseases.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Biofunctional chitosan–lignosulphonate nano-coacervates for sustained foliar delivery of Trichoderma harzianum (Th4d) and enhanced disease suppression

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月12日

查看全文
  • B. M. Sangeetha,
  • K. S. V. P. Chandrika,
  • R. D. Prasad,
  • N. B. Bharati,
  • K. V. Dinesh,
  • V. Sowmya

摘要

Background

Encapsulation of biological control agents improves targeted delivery, stability, and sustained release, thereby enhancing their effectiveness in foliar disease management. Nanocarrier-based delivery systems using natural polymers provide an eco-friendly and economical alternative to chemical pesticides. The present study aimed to develop a nano-coacervate based delivery system for Trichoderma harzianum (Th4d) using complex coacervation and to evaluate its physicochemical properties, storage stability, antifungal activity, and disease management efficiency.

Results

A chitosan–lignosulphonate nano-coacervate was successfully synthesized through a complex coacervation technique. The developed nano-coacervate exhibited semicrystalline characteristics with an average particle size of 43.33 nm. The particles ranged from spherical to oblong shapes with irregular surface topology. The formulation demonstrated high entrapment efficiency (99.4%) and provided sustained release of Trichoderma harzianum spores. The encapsulated spores remained viable for up to six months, indicating good storage stability. In vitro studies showed significant inhibition of spore germination of foliar fungal pathogens. Pot culture experiments revealed that the nano-coacervate formulation significantly reduced the incidence of powdery mildew in sunflower and leaf spot disease in groundnut compared to untreated controls. Additionally, the formulation enhanced the persistence of Trichoderma harzianum on the leaf surface for up to 15 days after spraying and induced systemic resistance responses in treated plants.

Conclusions

The developed chitosan–lignosulphonate nano-coacervate-based delivery system demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency, prolonged shelf life, sustained release, and improved antifungal efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum. The formulation enhanced phylloplane persistence and effectively reduced foliar disease incidence in crops. These findings suggest that the developed nano-coacervate system can serve as a promising and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional chemical fungicides for managing foliar plant diseases.

Graphical Abstract