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Plant Pathol. J.
Springer
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Abstract: |
Citrus black rot is a serious disease of citrus plants
caused by Alternaria citri. The current study aimed
to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) by
chemically or green method and investigate their antifungal activity against A. citri. The sizes of synthesized
as measured by transmission electron microscope of
ZnO-NPs were 88 and 65 nm for chemical and green
methods, respectively. The studied prepared ZnO-NPs
were applied, in vitro and in situ, at different concentrations (500, 1,000, and 2,000 µg/ml) in post-harvest
treatment on navel orange fruits to verify the possible
control effect against A. citri. Results of in vitro assay
demonstrated that, at concentration 2,000 µg/ml, the
green ZnO-NPs was able to inhibit about 61% of the
fungal growth followed by 52% of chemical ZnO-NPs.
In addition, scanning electron microscopy of A. citri
treated in vitro with green ZnO-NPs showed swelling
and deformation of conidia. Results showed also that,
using a chemically and green ZnO-NPs at 2,000 µg/ml
in situ in post-harvest treatment of orange, artifciallyinfected with A. citri, has reduced the disease severity to
6.92% and 9.23%, respectively, compared to 23.84%
of positive control (non-treated fruits) after 20 days of
storage. The out fndings of this study may contribute
to the development of a natural, effective, and ecofriendly strategy for eradicating harmful phytopathogenic fungi.
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