Green production of silver nanoparticles, evaluation of their nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne javanica and their impact on growth of faba bean

Abstract

Cyanobacterium-based silver nanoparticles are considered not only as an efficient nano-nematicide but also as a bio-stimulant material for plant growth. They could be employed as a part of an integrated program for controlling some plant diseases. In this study, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were biosynthesized from aqueous extract of the cyanobacterium, Nostoc sp. PCC7524. Full characterization of the biosynthesized Ag-NPs was monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern, Zeta sizer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In vitro assay against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica showed that Ag-NPs significantly decreased egg hatching of M. javanica at different applied concentrations (3, 6, 12, 25, and 50%, v/v). Fifty percent of Ag-NPs induced the highest reduction percent (94.66%). Moreover, Ag-NPs and AgNO3 significantly increased the percentages of larval mortality of the second-stage juveniles (J2) with concentration and time-dependent responses. Ag-NPs or AgNO3 at 2.4 ml/l, 24 h, completely inhibited the growth of J2 compared to 23% inhibition using aqueous cyanobacterial extract (ACE). In vivo effect of Ag-NPs on faba bean-infected plant under greenhouse conditions was achieved by treating soil with three different concentrations of 1, 2, and 3 ml/kg soil over two consecutive seasons. Ag-NPs significantly reduced root galling from 39.6 to 78.7% and J2 population in the soils from 32.2% to 86.7% in the 2018 season and from 21.9 to 78.1% and 40.0 to 81.0% in the 2019 season, respectively. Moreover, 3 ml/kg soil of Ag-NP treatment showed statistically comparable effects to that of vydate nematicide but with remarkable enhancement of faba bean growth parameters as compared to those of vydate or AgNO3 treatments in the two seasons. The considerable in vitro and in vivo nematicidal potential of the cyanobacterium-based Ag-NPs, besides their bio-stimulant effect on plant growth, makes them feasible for the biological control of M. javanica.