Surface Coated Sulfur Nanoparticles Suppress Fusarium Disease in Field Grown Tomato: Increased Yield and Nutrient Biofortification

Abstract

Little is known about the effect of nano sulfur (NS) under field conditions as a multifunctional agricultural amendment. Pristine and surface coated NS (CS) were amended in soil at 200 mg/kg that was planted with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Foliar exposure of CS (200 μg/mL) was also included. In healthy plants, CS increased tomato marketable yield up to 3.3∼3.4-fold compared to controls. In infested treatments, CS significantly reduced disease severity compared to the other treatments. Foliar and soil treatment with CS increased yield by 107 and 192% over diseased controls, respectively, and significantly increased fruit Ca, Cu, Fe, and Mg contents. A $33/acre investment in CS led to an increase in marketable yield from 4920 to 11,980 kg/acre for healthy plants and from 1135 to 2180 kg/acre for infested plants, demonstrating the significant potential of this nanoenabled strategy to increase food production.

Unlocking the Potential of Nano-Enabled Precision Agriculture for Efficient and Sustainable Farming

“…lachrymans, and Colletotrichum spp., can be controlled by nanoparticles of Cu, ZnO, MgO, FeO, and Ag. Furthermore, they may regulate the active chemicals that are discharged when employing nanoparticles as carriers, which improves absorption, promotes the availability of water and nutrients, and diminishes their adverse impacts on the environment [147,148]. With their long shelf lives, tailored absorption, dispersion, minimal soil dissolution, and toxic consequences, nano-pesticides effectively prevent plant diseases and promote plant development [149].…”

Chitosan-Coated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Suppression of Fusarium virguliforme in Soybeans (Glycine max)

“…For the field experiment, the experimental site was established at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Lockwood Farm located in Hamden, Connecticut. The soil was previously characterized as a Cheshire Fine Sandy Loam with a pH of 5.9 . Microplots were established in spring 2023 with rows 0.9 m wide and spaced 6 m apart.…”

“…The soil was previously characterized as a Cheshire Fine Sandy Loam with a pH of 5.9. 39 Microplots were established in spring 2023 with rows 0.9 m wide and spaced 6 m apart. The plots were fertilized with 112 kg/ha of 10−10− 10 NPK, covered with black plastic mulch, and irrigated using drip tape.…”

Unlocking the potential of nanoscale sulfur in sustainable agriculture

“… 61 In fact, in plants nano-sulfur activity is known to be similarly influenced; for example, Wang et al demonstrated that soil application of 200 mg L −1 of stearic acid coated (1–2 wt%) nano-sulfur significantly reduced Fusarium infested tomato plants compared to the uncoated nanomaterial. 57 …”