Wheat Response and Weed-Suppressive Ability in the Field Application of a Nanoencapsulated Disulfide (DiS-NH2) Bioherbicide Mimic

Abstract

Improving the efficacy of bioherbicides to overcome weed resistance phenomena is one of the main challenges within agriculture. Organic encapsulation is attracting attention as an alternative and eco-friendly tool, mainly in organic farming. In this research, for the first time, across three different wheat field trials, we tested the weed-suppressive ability (WSA) and crop response of a nanoparticle formulation of DiS-NH2 (2,2′-disulfanediyldianiline) applied as post-emergence foliar herbicide, both at standard (T1, 0.75 g m−2) and double dosages (T2, 1.5 g m−2), compared to no weeding (NC) and chemical weed control (PC). Averaged over locations, T2 showed the highest WSA (51.3%), followed by T1 (40.9%) and PC (33.5%). T2 induced also a wheat grain yield and a plant height comparable to PC (3185 kg ha−1 and 67.7 cm vs. 3153 kg ha−1 and 67.7 cm, respectively). Moreover, compared to NC, T2 increased the number of spikes m−2 (+19%) and the number of kernel spikes−1 (+26%). Similar results were observed for T1, which caused also a significant reduction in non-vitreous kernels (‒40%). These promising results suggest that the nanoencapsulated DiS-NH2 could be a good candidate as a post-emergence bioherbicide in wheat crop production.