IIT-K develops nanoparticles to protect crops

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) has developed a novel nanoparticle-based Bio-Degradable-Carbonoid-Metabolite (BioDCM) that can protect agricultural crops from fungal and bacterial infections.

The technology is a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in agricultural field, especially for rice crops.

It is developed as a bio-degradable nanoparticle system with a metabolite - the end-product of metabolism or the process of conversion of food, extracted from the naturally occurring common soil fungi viz., Trichoderma asperellum Strain TALK1.

This extracted metabolite can be used as an effective organic antimicrobial agent and carbonaceous degradable encompassing to provide protection against crop diseases and enrichment of soil, respectively.

"The invention of these novel nanoparticles would lessen the worries of crop infection and give a boost to crop yield," said Prof Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, in a statement.

Some key advantages of the invention include precise target action, can be active at low concentration, has similar advantages like chemical pesticides but safe and biodegradable, unlike them.

The bio formulation is of non-toxic nature, eco-friendly, easily degradable and is established to be a potent natural inhibitor in suppressing the growth and development of soil-based plant pathogens, including fungi and bacteria.

It helps in the crops to defend themselves by eliciting defence and meeting the level of competition towards better productivity.

The invention also helps in overcoming some shortcomings such as less control on bioavailability, premature degradation and absorption by the crops, thus, making it a feasible option for farmers, the researchers said.