Pirzada Tahira, Mathew Reny, Guenther Richard H, Sit Tim L, Opperman Charles H, Pal Lokendra, Khan Saad A
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Engineering Building 1, Box 7905, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7905, United States.
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, 840 Method Road, Unit 4, Box 7903, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7903, United States.
ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2020 May 4;8(17):6590-6600. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b05670. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
Controlled release and targeted delivery of agrochemicals are crucial for achieving effective crop protection with minimal damage to the environment. This work presents an innovative and cost-effective approach to fabricate lignocellulose-based biodegradable porous matrices capable of slow and sustained release of the loaded molecules for effective crop protection. The matrix exhibits tunable physicochemical properties which, when coupled with our unique "wrap-and-plant" concept, help to utilize it as a defense against soil-borne pests while providing controlled release of crop protection moieties. The tailored matrix is produced by mechanical treatment of the lignocellulosic fibers obtained from banana plants. The effect of different extents of mechanical treatments of the lignocellulosic fibers on the protective properties of the developed matrices is systematically investigated. While variation in mechanical treatment affects the morphology, strength, and porosity of the matrices, the specific composition and structure of the fibers are also capable of influencing their release profile. To corroborate this hypothesis, the effect of morphology and lignin content changes on the release of rhodamine B and abamectin as model cargos is investigated. These results, compared with those of the matrices developed from non-banana fibrous sources, reveal a unique release profile of the matrices developed from banana fibers, thereby making them strong candidates for crop protection applications.
农用化学品的控释和靶向递送对于在对环境造成最小损害的情况下实现有效的作物保护至关重要。这项工作提出了一种创新且具有成本效益的方法，用于制造基于木质纤维素的可生物降解多孔基质，该基质能够缓慢且持续地释放负载分子，以实现有效的作物保护。该基质具有可调节的物理化学性质，当与我们独特的“包裹并种植”概念相结合时，有助于将其用作抵御土传害虫的防御手段，同时实现作物保护部分的控释。定制的基质是通过对从香蕉植物中获得的木质纤维素纤维进行机械处理而制成的。系统地研究了木质纤维素纤维不同程度的机械处理对所开发基质的保护性能的影响。虽然机械处理的变化会影响基质的形态、强度和孔隙率，但纤维的特定组成和结构也能够影响其释放曲线。为了证实这一假设，研究了形态和木质素含量变化对作为模型货物的罗丹明B和阿维菌素释放的影响。与从非香蕉纤维来源开发的基质的结果相比，这些结果揭示了从香蕉纤维开发的基质的独特释放曲线，从而使其成为作物保护应用的有力候选者。
