Effects of Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles on Sclerotium-Forming Phytopathogenic Fungi

Effects of silver nanoparticles on the phytopathogenic fungal growth were investigated. Fungal phytopathogens, especially for sclerotium-forming species Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and S. minor, were selected due to their important roles in survival an disease cycle. Tests for the fungal hyphal growth revealed that silver nanoparticles remarkably inhibit the hyphal growth in a dose-dependent manner. Different antimicrobial efficiency of the silver nanoparticle was observed among the fungi on their hyphal growth in the following order, R. solani > S. selerotiorum > S. minor. Tests for the sclerotial germination growth revealed that the nanoparticles showed significant inhibition effectiveness. In particular, the sclerotial germination growth of S. sclerotiorum was most effectively inhibited at low concentrations of silver nanoparticles. A microscopic observation revealed that hyphae exposed to silver nanoparticles were severely damaged, resulting in the separation of layers of hyphal wall and collapse of hyphae. This study suggests the possibility to use silver nanoparticles as an alternative to pesticides for scleotium-forming phytopathogenic fungal controls.