Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Biosynthesized by Eriobotrya japonica Leaf Extract: Characterization, Insecticidal and Antibacterial Properties

Esraa Hamdy; Abdulaziz A Al-Askar; Hamada El-Gendi; Wael M Khamis; Said I Behiry; Franco Valentini; Kamel A Abd-Elsalam; Ahmed Abdelkhalek

doi:10.3390/plants12152826

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Biosynthesized by Eriobotrya japonica Leaf Extract: Characterization, Insecticidal and Antibacterial Properties

Plants (Basel). 2023 Jul 31;12(15):2826. doi: 10.3390/plants12152826.

Authors

Esraa Hamdy¹, Abdulaziz A Al-Askar², Hamada El-Gendi³, Wael M Khamis⁴, Said I Behiry⁵, Franco Valentini⁶, Kamel A Abd-Elsalam⁷, Ahmed Abdelkhalek¹

Affiliations

¹ Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria 21934, Egypt.
² Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
³ Bioprocess Development Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Egypt.
⁴ Plant Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Al-Sabhia, Alexandria 21616, Egypt.
⁵ Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21531, Egypt.
⁶ Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari, Via Ceglie 9, Valenzano, 70010 Bari, Italy.
⁷ Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza 12619, Egypt.

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have gained significant attention in nanotechnology due to their unique properties and potential applications in various fields, including insecticidal and antibacterial activities. The ZnO-NPs were biosynthesized by Eriobotrya japonica leaf extract and characterized by various techniques such as UV-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential analysis. The results of SEM revealed that NPs were irregular and spherical-shaped, with a diameter between 5 and 27 nm. Meanwhile, DLS supported that the measured size distributions were 202.8 and 94.7 nm at 11.1° and 90.0°, respectively, which supported the polydisperse nature of NPs, and the corresponding zeta potential was -20.4 mV. The insecticidal activity of the produced ZnO-NPs was determined against the adult stage of coleopteran pests, Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus) (Curculionidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Tenebrionidae). The LC₅₀ values of ZnO-NPs against adults of S. oryzae and T. castaneum at 24 h of exposure were 7125.35 and 5642.65 μg/mL, respectively, whereas the LC₉₀ values were 121,824.56 and 66,825.76 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the biosynthesized nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity against three potato bacterial pathogens, and the size of the inhibition zone was concentration-dependent. The data showed that the inhibition zone size increased with an increase in the concentration of nanoparticles for all bacterial isolates tested. The highest inhibition zone was observed for Ralstonia solanacearum at a concentration of 5 µg/mL, followed by Pectobacterium atrosepticum and P. carotovorum. Eventually, ZnO-NPs could be successfully used as an influential agent in pest management programs against stored-product pests and potato bacterial diseases.

Keywords: Eriobotrya; FTIR; ZnO-NPs; bactericidal activity; insecticidal; red flour beetle; rice weevil; stored products.

Grants and funding

RSP2023R505/King Saud University