Antimycotic activity of biogenically synthesised metal and metal oxide nanoparticles against plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium moniliforme (F. fujikuroi

Consistent and injudicious application of antifungal agents to control fungal pathogens on crops results in off-target ill-effects on livestock and human health besides issues, such as disruption of ecological balance. In this context, development of novel specific antifungal agents such as metal or metal oxide nanoparticles without side effects becomes a necessity. Here, we attempted green synthesis of three different metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) (Ag, ZnO and FeO) by incubating metal salts with Trichoderma harzianum hyphal or mycelial extract (HE). The AgNPs were also generated using hyphal filtrate (HF). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by microscopy and spectroscopy techniques and evaluated by poisoned food technique/agar well diffusion technique under in vitro conditions on Czapek dox agar against plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium moniliforme. The tested NPs exhibited varied efficacy for curbing the growth of F. moniliforme. A NP concentration dependent increase in percent growth inhibition was recorded for the above mentioned three types of NPs. Moreover, the antimycotic efficacy of the microbial synthesized Ag NPs also varied for the T. harzianum cell free filtrate and hyphal extract formulations. Maximum percent hyphal growth inhibition (58.83%) was recorded for T. harzianum HE Ag NPs at 800 ppm followed by FeO NPs at 400 ppm (40.38%).