The presented study pursued determining the effect of biosynthesized nano-zinc oxide in managing root and stem rot on broad bean (Vicia faba L.) caused by the fungi Rhizoctonia solani. The two laboratory experiments transpired in 2022 at the Al-Qasim Green University, Iraq. The pathogenic fungal isolates cultivation on millet seeds ensued by infecting them with the R. solani vaccine in the laboratory. The effect of nano-zinc on R. solani growth suppression succeeded probing. The completely randomized design used had two factors. The first factor was bean cultivars, local and Spanish, while the second factor was the treatment of fungi R. solani with nano-zinc oxide six times. The results showed zinc nanoparticles considerably inhibited the fungus growth, which causes root and stem rot in broad beans. Since ZnONPs suppressed the fungal isolate growth (100%) compared to 0% in the control treatment, 20 μg/ml was optimal. In the pot experiment, the nano-zinc oxide foliar application had the lowest fungi infection (28.33%), compared with 81.67% in the control treatment. Nano-zinc oxide reduced infection severity to 6.92% versus 44.45% with fungal therapy alone. In treating the pathogenic fungus with nanoparticle-zinc oxide (ZnO) in the Spanish cultivar, polyphenol oxidase had the highest activity (0.94 unit ml-1), while in the local cultivar and control, the therapy had 0.08 enzyme percentage.
Broad bean (Vicia faba L.), ZnO-NPs, fungus, R. solani, root and stem rot, fungus
Zinc nanoparticles considerably suppressed the fungus development and boosted the growth of the broad bean (Vicia faba L.) plant.