Synthesis, Characterization and in vitro Antifungal Action of Gum Ghatti Capped Copper Oxide Nanoparticles

Copper oxide nanoparticles gained significance in agriculture for their antifungal action on various fungal plant pathogens. In this context, gum ghatti capped copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NP) were generated by optimizing metal precursor conc. Synthesized NP were analyzed with different instrumental techniques such as UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. NP showed characteristic absorption at 280 nm in UV-vis spectra and indicated monoclinic crystal structure. FTIR spectra confirmed the capping of NP by functional groups of the gum. Produced NP were spherical and showed a mean particle size of 4.5 +/- 1 nm. The in vitro antifungal action of the gum-capped NP (25-100 mu g/mL) was determined using resazurin broth assay against mycelia and sclerotia of Rhizoctonia solani, a soil and seed-borne fungal plant pathogen. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 50-75 and 75-100 mu g/mL, respectively, for mycelia and sclerotia of R. solani strains. NP inhibited the mycelial growth and sclerotial germination by 41.4-59% and 46.8-69.3% at respective MIC values. Therefore, the present report paves the way for the production of CuO NP-based fungicidal formulations towards the control and management of different fungal diseases in a broad range of crops.