The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles, synthesized from strawberry fruit extract, in inhibiting the growth of fungi responsible for spot and blight diseases in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The research identified 18 species of fungi linked to these symptoms on tomato foliage, notably Alternaria alternata, Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Scytalidium lignospora, using molecular ITS1-ITS4 gene analysis. The characterization of silver nanoparticles, with a size of 61.87 nanometers, proceeded through ultraviolet-visible and zeta potential measurements. Findings indicated these biosynthesized silver nanoparticles hindered the growth of all tested fungi. Notably, they exhibited greater efficacy against Cladosporium, with its growth inhibited by 86.4%. Inhibition percentages for other pathogenic fungi ranged between 75.06% and 81.11%.
Tomato (S. lycopersicum L.), nanotechnology, plant diseases, silver nanoparticles
The study found biosynthesized silver nanoparticles effectively inhibited the growth of various fungal pathogens responsible for spot and blight diseases in tomato (S. lycopersicum L.). Their notable efficacy against Cladosporium reached an inhibition rate of 86.4% and demonstrated a correlation between nanoparticle concentration and effectiveness.