Synthesis of mycogenic silver nanoparticles by Fusarium pallidoroseum and evaluation of its larvicidal effect against white grubs (Holotrichia sp.)

Abstract

In the present study, mycogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by using Fusarium pallidoroseum biomass and its efficacy was tested against third instar white grubs (Holotrichia sp), a potent pest of sugarcane in western Uttar Pradesh (India). The AgNPs were characterized by UV (ultra voilet) – Visible Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS). The UV-Vis spectroscopy showed peak at 430 nm, corresponding to AgNPs. The FESEM results also confirmed the synthesis of nano sized particles. EDX analysis result showed the optical absorption peak at 3 keV which is specific to AgNPs. The DLS result confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs with average size of 93.48 nm. FTIR analysis depicted information about all the chemical interactions of AgNPs. AFM image depicted the three dimensional conformations of AgNPs. The AgNPs were applied against third instar white grub larvae in vitro and lethal dosage (LD50) was formulated by Probit analysis, which was further validated and found to be significant at 0.05 levels by chi-square test.