Abstract
Spraying of agrochemicals (pesticides, fertilizers) causes environmental pollution on a million‐ton scale. A sustainable alternative is target‐specific, on‐demand drug delivery by polymeric nanocarriers. Trunk injections of aqueous nanocarrier dispersions can overcome the biological size barriers of roots and leaves and allow distributing the nanocarriers through the plant. To date, the fate of polymeric nanocarriers inside a plant is widely unknown. Here, the in planta conditions in grapevine plants are simulated and the colloidal stability of a systematic series of nanocarriers composed of polystyrene (well‐defined model) and biodegradable lignin and polylactic‐co‐glycolic acid by a combination of different techniques is studied. Despite the adsorption of carbohydrates and other biomolecules onto the nanocarriers’ surface, they remain colloidally stable after incubation in biological fluids (wood sap), suggesting a potential transport via the xylem. The transport is tracked by fluorine‐ and ruthenium‐labeled nanocarriers inside of grapevines by 19F‐magnetic resonance imaging or induced coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy. Both methods show that the nanocarriers are transported inside of the plant and proved to be powerful tools to localize nanomaterials in plants. This study provides essential information to design nanocarriers for agrochemical delivery in plants to sustainable crop protection.
Highlights
To date, agrochemicals are mainly distributed by the spraying of drug formulations onto the plants
The fluorine distribution profile showed a slight increase of fluorine at higher parts of the plant, but the major signal remained at the point of the injection, which most likely is due to the weaker sapflow in the pith (Figure 6E and Figure S3: Supporting Information). These results show the importance of the method of application for nanocarrier based plant therapy, which needs further studies to understand the influence on plant physiology after injection
This work presents the first investigation of the stability and the transport of polymeric nanocarriers in plants: wood saps proved to be suitable to simulate real in planta conditions
Summary
Agrochemicals are mainly distributed by the spraying of drug formulations onto the plants.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
