Eco-friendly O-carboxymethyl chitosan base chlorfenapyr nanopesticide for effective pest control and reduced toxicity to honey bees

Enhancing pesticide selectivity is one of the important strategies to improve pesticide utilization and protect non-target organisms. Herein, a pH-controlled release carrier was prepared to enhance insecticidal activity and reduce toxicity to bees by polysaccharide materials O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMCS) and crosslinker‑sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). Chlorfenapyr (CF) was encapsulated through crosslinking and self-assembled to form a stable nanopesticide (CF@O-CMCS) with a loading ratio of 5.27 %. CF@O-CMCS had excellent pH release dependency. In 36 h, only 26.39 % of the CF in the CF@O-CMCS was released at pH 5.0, whereas 95.28 % was released at pH 10.0. Treated for 48 h with 2.5 mg.ai/L, CF@O-CMCS was 73.33 % more effective at controlling Spodoptera frugiperda larvae than CF SC (Suspension), which was only 40.00 % effective. The lethal concentration 50 % (LC50) of 11.41 mg/L in CF@O-CMCS was four times lower than that of 2.71 mg/L in CF SC at 96 h, making it safer for worker bees. Additionally, CF@O-CMCS treated the gut of worker bees had considerably lower contents of chlorfenapyr and tralopyril (1.13 and 0.59 mg/kg) than CF SC (3.22 and 1.91 mg/kg) group. In consideration of its eco-friendly, enhanced bioactivity, and low toxicity to worker bees, CF@O-CMCS will have a broad application prospect in sustainable agriculture.