The bacterial strain Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae (Xoo), which causes bacterial leaf blight (BLB) infection, significantly impacts rice yield. Nano-enabled techniques have lately gained popularity as a long-term framework for improving crop nutrition and inhibiting plant diseases.
The production and characterization of bioengineered chitosan iron nanocomposites (BNCs) as an antibacterial agent for treating bacterial leaf blight infection in rice crops is the topic of a new study published in the journal Nano Today.
Microbial Infections: A Significant Threat to Rice Crops
Rice is an essential food crop on a global scale. The worldwide population is expected to grow from 7 to 9 billion by 2050, emphasizing the need to increase rice output to ensure global food sustainability.
Rice yields, however, are challenged by a variety of biotic stressors, including microbial diseases, predatory insects, and weeds. The pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial leaf blight (BLB) illness and is one of the most damaging infections restricting rice output in South Asian nations.
Traditional BLB control solutions include antibiotics and chemical-based medicines, which are costly, detrimental to public health, environmentally destructive, and may lead to pathogen resilience. Furthermore, generating BLB-resistant rice genotypes via traditional breeding or genetic modification is difficult and time-consuming.
As a result, novel BLB disease management techniques are urgently needed to boost rice yield and reduce food insecurity.
Nano-Enabled Agrochemicals for Plant Disease Management
According to several studies, nanocomposites improve plant disease resistance by enhancing plant development, physiological responses, photosynthetic efficiency, nutritional content, and hormone composition. The controlled application of nanoscale micronutrients can increase agricultural productivity by modifying plant health and providing pathogens management.
Many researchers have recently concentrated on adding nanoparticles into biopolymer matrices to create nanocomposites with novel characteristics that can be modified to regulate analyte release.
Novel Bioengineered Chitosan Iron Nanocomposites (BNCs)
Chitosan is a biopolymer with distinct qualities such as nontoxicity, good biocompatibility, immunogenicity, and antibacterial capabilities. Chitosan can directly enhance plant development via antibacterial action and systemic resistance through the octadecanoid channel.
Furthermore, chitosan can be employed as a supporting matrix for metallic nanocomposites, resulting in better physicochemical durability, targeted micronutrient distribution, cytocompatibility, and good antimicrobial activities.
Although the production of chitosan-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) has been studied for a variety of applications, the current study introduces a green manufacturing process for the production of bioengineered chitosan iron nanocomposites (BNCs) utilizing the bacterial strain Bacillus aryabhattai RNT7.
Furthermore, this is the first description of in vitro and in vivo analysis of bio-engineered nanocomposites’ bactericidal effectiveness against Xoo. A high-throughput amplicon sequencing technique was utilized in the research to examine the influence of bio-engineered nanocomposites on the endophytic microbial content of healthy and damaged rice plants.
Key Developments of the Study
The findings show that foliar treatment of bio-engineered nanocomposites significantly suppresses BLB illness via various processes, including control of cellular functions, modulation of nutrient uptake, and activation of defense-related genes.
The ultrastructure analysis revealed that bio-engineered nanocomposites greatly reduce BLB-induced stress by limiting the growth of the Xoo infection. The transcription of pathogenesis-related genes was elevated in Xoo-infected rice crops after BNCs administration, demonstrating the beneficial effect of bio-engineered nanocomposites on rice crops.
The high-throughput sequencing results showed that exposing rice plants to bio-engineered nanocomposites greatly decreases the frequency of the Xoo infection. A favorable endophytic bacterial community composition was also maintained in the rice crops.
Future Outlook
Investigating the basic processes of BNC-mediated plant microbiological community management is an intriguing future problem that will contribute to our knowledge of appropriate strategies for developing desired bacterial communities while hindering the impact of plant pathogens.
The current findings show that foliar spraying of bio-engineered nanocomposites has promising results as a new technique for BLB disease control. This study also provides a molecular framework for assessing the influence of bio-engineered nanocomposites on rice endophytic microbial populations as part of green nano-enabled agriculture
News
Does Space-Time Really Exist?
Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and the very nature of reality. [...]
Unlocking hidden soil microbes for new antibiotics
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab-and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil [...]
By working together, cells can extend their senses beyond their direct environment
The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of mattresses. When it comes to [...]
Overworked Brain Cells May Hold the Key to Parkinson’s
Scientists at Gladstone Institutes uncovered a surprising reason why dopamine-producing neurons, crucial for smooth body movements, die in Parkinson’s disease. In mice, when these neurons were kept overactive for weeks, they began to falter, [...]
Old tires find new life: Rubber particles strengthen superhydrophobic coatings against corrosion
Development of highly robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using recycled tire rubber particles. Superhydrophobic materials offer a strategy for developing marine anti-corrosion materials due to their low solid-liquid contact area and low surface energy. However, [...]
This implant could soon allow you to read minds
Mind reading: Long a science fiction fantasy, today an increasingly concrete scientific goal. Researchers at Stanford University have succeeded in decoding internal language in real time thanks to a brain implant and artificial intelligence. [...]
A New Weapon Against Cancer: Cold Plasma Destroys Hidden Tumor Cells
Cold plasma penetrates deep into tumors and attacks cancer cells. Short-lived molecules were identified as key drivers. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), working with colleagues from Greifswald University Hospital and [...]
This Common Sleep Aid May Also Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s
Lemborexant and similar sleep medications show potential for treating tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a commonly used sleep medication can restore normal sleep patterns and [...]
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Boost Cancer Drug Efficacy
A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Over a tenth of breast [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
In a study published in OncoImmunology, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have created a therapeutic vaccine that mobilizes the immune system to target cancer cells. The researchers demonstrated that virus peptides combined [...]
Quantitative imaging method reveals how cells rapidly sort and transport lipids
Lipids are difficult to detect with light microscopy. Using a new chemical labeling strategy, a Dresden-based team led by André Nadler at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and [...]
Ancient DNA reveals cause of world’s first recorded pandemic
Scientists have confirmed that the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic, was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death. Dating back some 1,500 years and long described in historical texts but [...]
“AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity
Opaque AI systems risk undermining human rights and dignity. Global cooperation is needed to ensure protection. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses a global risk to human [...]
Nanomotors: Where Are They Now?
First introduced in 2004, nanomotors have steadily advanced from a scientific curiosity to a practical technology with wide-ranging applications. This article explores the key developments, recent innovations, and major uses of nanomotors today. A [...]
Study Finds 95% of Tested Beers Contain Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Researchers found PFAS in 95% of tested beers, with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as forever chemicals, are gaining notoriety for their ability [...]
Long COVID Symptoms Are Closer To A Stroke Or Parkinson’s Disease Than Fatigue
When most people get sick with COVID-19 today, they think of it as a brief illness, similar to a cold. However, for a large number of people, the illness doesn't end there. The World [...]
