GABA-Decorated Nanocarrier for Smart Delivery of Fludioxonil for Targeted Control of Banana Wilt Disease

Developing a targeted nanopesticide to control the vascular disease of banana in agriculture is crucial to improve pesticide utilization. In this study, according to the degree of functionalization, three γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-decorated nanocarriers (PSI-GABA₈, PSI-GABA₁₈, and PSI-GABA₂₈) were constructed for smart delivery of nonsystemic fungicide in banana phloem tissues. Fludioxonil (Flu) was loaded in nanocarriers to form Flu@PSI-GABA nanoparticles with a core/shell structure for control of banana wilt disease. Results demonstrated that the delivery dosage of Flu was up to 1.6 mg/L in castor phloem sap using PSI-GABA₂₈ nanocarriers. In vitro results showed that the EC₅₀ of Flu@PSI-GABA₂₈ was 0.0116 mg/L, and the inhibitory activity was about 8.8 times higher than that of technical-grade (TC) Flu. Flu@PSI-GABA₂₈ could be transported for long distances and accumulated to the rhizome of banana by foliar application, and the control effectiveness was about 20 times that of the conventional Flu (50% WP) for the banana wilt. This study provides a distinctive guidance for effective control of vascular diseases in precision agriculture application.