Nanofungicides: A Promising Solution for Climate-Resilient Plant Disease Management

Worldwide plant disease caused a 13% loss and it is calculated to be 2000 billion dollars. Plant pathogenic fungi such as Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium spp. cause approximately $45 billion in loss every year. Commercially available fungicides affect both agriculture and the environment. They are highly toxic, nondegradable, pesticide residues that contaminate soil and water, and fungicide present in the plant affects human and animal health. The drawbacks associated with synthetic fungicides can be overcome by using nanotechnology research. Nanofungicides are very effective agents due to their properties like solubility and permeability, low dose-dependent toxicity, higher efficacy, enhanced bioavailability, targeted delivery, enhanced bioavailability, and controlled release. Metals like Cu, Zn, Ag, TiO2, etc. and inorganic elements are used to synthesize nanofungicides. Studies on the host, pathogens, and nanoformulations lead to the development of novel pesticides which is less harmful to the environment than synthetic one. This chapter discusses the nanoformulation with active ingredients and their role in plant disease management.