Zinc nitrate derived nano ZnO: Fungicide for disease management of horticultural crops

A laboratory study was undertaken to assess the antifungal property of the nano ZnO against a food borne pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. In this study nano ZnO was synthesized from zinc nitrate solution using sodium hydroxide. Synthesized nano ZnO was characterized by DLS, SEM, TEM and EDAX analysis. Nano ZnO was used for antifungal assay against A. fumigatus through poisoned food technique. Antifungal activity of nano ZnO was found to be significantly higher than bulk sized ZnO. Mechanism of action studies of nano-ZnO on the A. fumigatus show that hydroxyl radicals and superoxides generated by nano-ZnO remain bound to the fungal cell wall and causes deformity due to high energy transfer leading to death of fungi.