Protective Properties of Copper-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles against Soybean Pathogens Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycinea and Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens

Abstract

Soybeans are a valuable food product, containing 40% protein and a large percentage of unsaturated fatty acids ranging from 17 to 23%. Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycinea (Psg) and Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff) are harmful bacterial pathogens of soybean. The bacterial resistance of soybean pathogens to existing pesticides and environmental concerns requires new approaches to control bacterial diseases. Chitosan is a biodegradable, biocompatible and low-toxicity biopolymer with antimicrobial activity that is promising for use in agriculture. In this work, a chitosan hydrolysate and its nanoparticles with copper were obtained and characterized. The antimicrobial activity of the samples against Psg and Cff was studied using the agar diffusion method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. The samples of chitosan and copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Cu2+ChiNPs) significantly inhibited bacterial growth and were not phytotoxic at the concentrations of the MIC and MBC values. The protective properties of chitosan hydrolysate and copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against soybean bacterial diseases were tested on plants in an artificial infection. It was demonstrated that the Cu2+ChiNPs were the most effective against Psg and Cff. Treatment of pre-infected leaves and seeds demonstrated that the biological efficiencies of (Cu2+ChiNPs) were 71% and 51% for Psg and Cff, respectively. Copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles are promising as an alternative treatment for bacterial blight and bacterial tan spot and wilt in soybean.