Efficient and environment-friendly nanopesticide delivery systems are critical for the sustainable development of agriculture. In this study, a graphene oxide nanocomposite was developed for pesticide delivery and plant protection with pyraclostrobin as the model pesticide. First, graphene oxide-pyraclostrobin nanocomposite was prepared through fast adsorption of pyraclostrobin onto graphene oxide with a maximum loading of 87.04%. The as-prepared graphene oxide-pyraclostrobin nanocomposite exhibited high stability during two years of storage, suggesting its high potential in practical application. The graphene oxide-pyraclostrobin nanocomposite could achieve temperature (25 °C, 30 °C and 35 °C) and pH (5, 7 and 9) slow-release behavior, which overcomes the burst release of conventional pyraclostrobin formulation. Furthermore, graphene oxide-pyraclostrobin nanocomposite exhibited considerable antifungal activities against Fusarium graminearum and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum both in vitro and in vivo. The cotoxicity factor assay revealed that there was a synergistic interaction when graphene oxide and pyraclostrobin were combined at the ratio of 1:1 against the mycelial growth of Fusarium graminearum and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with co-toxicity coefficient values exceeding 100 in vitro. The control efficacy of graphene oxide-pyraclostrobin nanocomposite was 71.35% and 62.32% against Fusarium graminearum and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in greenhouse, respectively, which was higher than that of single graphene oxide and pyraclostrobin. In general, the present study provides a candidate nanoformulation for pathogenic fungal control in plants, and may also expand the application of graphene oxide materials in controlling plant fungal pathogens and sustainable agriculture.
Keywords: graphene oxide; nanocarrier; nanopesticide; pathogenic fungal control.