Poster: Biology & Disease Mgmt: Chemical Control
221-P
Nanoparticle encapsulation of seed treatment active ingredients for protection of maize seeds against Fusarium graminearum
L. WASHINGTON (1), A. Mullis (2), D. Mayfield (3), B. Narasimhan (2), G. Munkvold (3) (1) Department of Plant Pathology Iowa State University, U.S.A.; (2) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Iowa State University, U.S.A.; (3) Department of P
Fungicide seed treatments have long been a viable and effective strategy for protecting against seedborne and soilborne pathogens. However, losses to seeding diseases are still an important issue and there is a need for improved seed treatment efficacy. Amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles have been used to enhance efficacy for several active ingredients in animal systems and have potential for agricultural use. Nanoparticle encapsulation has the potential to reduce active ingredient dosage and to provide sustained release. In order to assess these potential benefits, we developed a method to load polyanhydride nanoparticles with fungicide active ingredients to protect maize seeds against seedling blight caused by Fusarium graminearum. The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of a reduced rate of nanoparticle-encapsulated thiabendazole for suppression of seedling blight on hybrid maize seeds. Loaded nanoformulations were applied at varying rates with a planting polymer. These nanoparticle treatments were compared to a non-encapsulated thiabendazole treatment and a control. Seeds were treated and placed in a rolled towel assay for one week, to evaluate the effects on root length, shoot length, plant weight, and disease severity. Preliminary results indicate that the nanoformulated thiabendazole had significantly higher plant weight (p<0.0001) and root length (p<0.0001) than traditional thiabendazole seed treatments and inoculated controls.