Antifungal and growth-promoting activities of shell nanoparticles of chitosan aspartate

Natalia Pozdnyakova; Elizaveta Shcherbakova; Oksana Tkachenko; Alena Denisova; Kristina Kargapolova; Xenia Shipenok; Anna Shipovskaya

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Antifungal and growth-promoting activities of shell nanoparticles of chitosan aspartate

Natalia Nikolaevna Pozdnyakova

^{1, 2},

Elizaveta Vadimovna Shcherbakova

^{1, 2},

Oksana Viktorovna Tkachenko

^{1, 3},

Alena Yurievna Denisova

^{1, 3},

Kristina Yurievna Kargapolova

^{1, 3},

Xenia Mikhailovna Shipenok

^{*

1},

Anna Borisovna Shipovskaya

^{*

1}

¹ Institute of Chemistry, Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, 83 Astrakhanskaya St., Saratov 410012, Russia
² Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Saratov Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPPM RAS), 13 Entuziastov Prosp., Saratov 410049, Russia
³ Department of Plant Breeding, Selection, and Genetics, Faculty of Agronomy, Saratov State University of Genetics, Biotechnology and Engineering Named after N.I. Vavilov, 410012 Saratov, Russia

Academic Editor: Azucena Gonzalez-Coloma

Published: 20 October 2025 by MDPI in The 3rd International Online Conference on Agriculture session Zero-Pollution Solutions in Crop Protection

Abstract:

The design and agricultural application of new-generation nanostructured biopreparations with a wide range of functional properties can significantly reduce the use of synthetic plant protection products and growth stimulants. In this work, we studied the antifungal and growth-stimulating activity of chitosan aspartate nanoparticles obtained in situ in the process of the counterionic association of protonated macrochains with counterions of acid residue and stabilized by a polysiloxane shell network. Our study of the growth of soil-dwelling saprotrophic and phytopathogenic fungi of various physiological and ecological groups showed that the shell nanoparticles had antifungal activity. Mycelial growth suppression under the influence of these nanoparticles was noted for the fungi Trichoderma harzianum (up to 81.3%), Fusarium oxysporum (39.1%), Schizophyllum commune (37.9%), Lecanicillum aphanocladii (30.4%), Alternaria sp. (33.0%), Botrytis sp. (30.0%), Trichoderma viride (25.3%), Sclerotinia cf. Sclerotiorum (18.0%), Rhizoctonia sp. (15.0%), Talaromyces sayulitensis (7.0%) and Pleurotus ostreatus var. Florida (6.1%). At the same time, a stimulating effect of low nanoparticle concentrations on the growth of the ascomycete T. sayulitensis isolated from the rhizosphere was found (20%). The treatment of soft wheat seeds with the nanoparticle biopreparation followed by cultivation on an artificial infectious background in the presence of spores of the fungus Rhizoctonia sp. reduced the damage degree and the development level of the plant disease by 33%. Along with this, our study of seedlings of four plant species of various taxonomic and economic groups (soft wheat, soybean, cucumber, and lettuce) by a set of morphometric, physiological and biochemical features showed that the shell nanoparticles of chitosan aspartate had pronounced growth-stimulating activity. It was manifested, first of all, in an increase in root biomass, the content of photosynthetic pigments and a change in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. A reliable effect of the nanoparticles on the morphogenetic activity of callus cells and the regeneration of wheat plants was also established. The results of our study demonstrate the potential of biopreparation based on chitosan aspartate nanoparticles both for protecting plants from phytopathogenic fungi and stimulating the growth and development of agricultural crops. Moreover, the preparation is biodegradable and safe for humans and the environment.