RADIATION SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES/CHITOSAN AGAINST Corynespora cassiicola CAUSING LEAF FALL DISEASE ON RUBBER TREES
In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by gamma rays irradiation of 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 mM silver nitrate solution using chitosan as a stabilizer. UV spectra, morphology and size of AgNPs irradiated at different doses were characterized by using UV-vis spectrophotometer and TEM images. The obtained results indicated that the average size of AgNPs increased by the increase of silver concentration in irradiated solution or the degree of acetylation of chitosan, while the increase of chitosan concentration was found to be a functional key for reducing the average size of particles in AgNPs product. In vitro test, AgNPs inhibited the growth of Corynespora cassiicola. In particularly, the inhibitory efficiency of AgNPs on the growth of C. cassiicola on rubber leaf extract media increased from 52.1 to 100 % when the average particle size of particles in AgNPs product decreased from 15 to 5 nm at the concentration of 50 ppm. In addition, the increase of AgNPs concentration from 10 to 90 ppm also enhanced the antifungal activity to be from 6.3 to 100 %, respectively. It suggests that the silver nanoparticles/chitosan (AgNPs/chitosan) synthesized by γ-rays irradiation method is a very promising fungicidal product applying for treating C. cassiicola, a serious pathogen fungus on rubber trees.