Smart Nano-Chitosan for Fungal Disease Control

Abstract

The excessive and irrational use of synthetic fungicides has perturbed us with irrevocable soil-water-air contaminations, development of resistance in microbes, and disturbing biosphere. Thus, search for biodegradable/ecofriendly materials has emerged as the main goal to replace/reduce the synthetic fungicides in agriculture for crop protection. Under this scenario, nanobiotechnology seems to be a boon for the synthesis of ecofriendly, biocompatible, and safe fungicides which will not only improve the soil health and the defense system of plants but also help in obtaining healthy food for the continuously growing population. Among the available biomaterials/biopolymers, chitosan is being explored as new generation smart material to be used in agriculture especially for plant protection. This chapter describes various chitosan-based nanomaterials (NMs) which have been used from laboratory to field for control of fungal disease in crops.