Wheat protection: fungicides based on copper nanoparticles to combat yellow rust developed at NCFU

Employees of the North Caucasus Federal University are developing new complex fungicidal preparations based on copper nanoparticles.

The threat to the harvest in the Stavropol Territory is caused by the active spread of yellow rust, a fungal disease that affects cereal crops. More than 15 thousand hectares of agricultural land are at risk. The stable spread of the pathogen is associated with favorable weather conditions that contribute to its development.

Studies by NCFU specialists have shown that copper oxide nanoparticles most effectively suppress pathogenic organisms. In addition to the pronounced antibacterial and fungicidal effect, the particles help plants absorb trace elements.

Nanoparticles form a protective film on the surface of plants, stop the growth of harmful microorganisms and activate the culture's own immune mechanisms. This approach, based on natural protection principles, represents a new direction in agrochemistry.

The project "Development of new highly stable and biologically active nanoscale forms of essential microelements for biological modification of food and feed crops and increasing their resistance to stressful environmental conditions" is being implemented with the support of the Russian Science Foundation. At the next stage, specialists plan to study the effect of copper oxide nanoparticles on soil microflora.

The results obtained will help determine the potential of the created drugs and the prospects for their practical application in agriculture for effective and environmentally safe crop protection.

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