Abstract
Pyraclostrobin (Pyr) is one of the most effective fungicides. However, it can degrade via photolysis in water, it is toxic to aquatic life and if inhaled, it has a low solubility in water, that leads to difficulties when applying to plants by spraying. Additionally, the necessity of repeated (weekly) sprays of fungicides when the pathogen growth risk is the highest, such as at the temperature range of 24 to 36 °C and increased humidity of about 95%, leads to loss of efficiency of the fungicide and overdose of chemicals. In the present study, pyraclostrobin was microencapsulated to solve the abovementioned issues. As a core of capsules octadecane (OD) with a melting point of 28 °C was used, thus, the release of pyraclostrobin was controlled via temperature change. Pyraclostrobin-loaded submicrocapsules (PyrSMCs) were characterized using SEM, DLS, TGA/DSC, HPLC, FTIR methods; stimuli-responsivity was tested employing in vitro tests with pathogenic culture (Fungal strain of Pyrenophora teres - CPPF-453) grown in Petri dishes. Toxicity of PyrSMCs to Artemia salina was studied as well. Size of capsules was 200–600 nm along with the presence of bigger capsules with a diameter of 1–4 µm. PyrSMCs showed excellent antifungal effects above the melting point of octadecane. PyrSMCs demonstrated 29 times less toxicity than pyraclostrobin of technical grade. Overall, results show the potential of such capsules to be applied in the agricultural industry for precise agriculture strategies.
Highlights
The importance of agriculture has always been and remains one of the most important productions for humans, especially, in the 21st century, when population has increased and reached its maximum
Plant protection products (PPPs) used to be the main tool to control plant diseases, even though they are known to be toxic [2] and need a forecasting system to be applied on time when the risk of pathogen growth is the highest, such as in warm temperatures and moist environments
Decreasing the amount of silica nanoparticles leads to the stabilization of less surface area and, the formation of bigger droplets
Summary
The importance of agriculture has always been and remains one of the most important productions for humans, especially, in the 21st century, when population has increased and reached its maximum. One of the most effective fungicides, pyraclostrobin (methyl N-{2-[1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1Hpyrazol-3-yloxymethyl] phenyl}(N-methoxy) carbamate), is used to control the main fungal diseases that affect a whole range of crops, including apples. Its importance in agriculture is not in doubt It can control the main fungal diseases that affect many agronomic and fruit crops, such as cotton, wheat, corn, banana and others. When applying directly on the plant, pyraclostrobin can degrade via photolysis in water with a half-life (t1/2) of 1.7 days, reducing its efficacy. It is known to be toxic to aquatic life and if inhaled, it has low solubility in water that leads to difficulties when applying on the plants by spraying
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