Nanobiofungicides: Effective Tools for Control of Fungal Pathogens

Nanobiofungicides are durable and highly efficient formulations for the control of phytopathogenic fungi, even at lower dosages of active ingredients when used in the fields. The synthesis of nanobiofungicides involves microorganisms such as bacteria, algae, yeast, fungi, actinomycetes, and viruses. Several types of nanobiofungicide formulation processes exist, such as nanoemulsions, inorganic nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide and silica, and polymer-based nanoformulations. Nanobiofungicides may exhibit antifungal activity depending on the employed microorganism and could be due to antibiosis, parasitism, modification in plant growth, activating the plant’s defense mechanism. The advancement of nanotechnology has increased the number of nanoparticles (NPs) entering the environment. To protect plants from the potentially harmful effects of nanomaterials, an increasing amount of research has focused on determining the toxicity of the NPs commonly used in industry. Therefore, this chapter highlights several aspects of nanobiofungicides, which include their preparation strategies, mechanism of action, delivery, agricultural application, and environmental impact.