Stimuli-Free Transcuticular Delivery of Zn Microelement Using Biopolymeric Nanovehicles: Experimental, Theoretical, and Studies.

This paper reports one-step synthesis of polysaccharide-based nanovehicles, capable of transporting ionic zinc plant cuticle without auxiliary stimulation. Delivery of highly hydrophilic nutritive microelements the hydrophobic cuticle of plant foliage is one of the major challenges in modern agriculture. In traditional nutrition roots, up to 80% of microelements permeate to soil and get wasted; therefore, foliar treatment is an environmentally and economically preferable alternative. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was modified to amphiphilic -octylamide-derivative (CMC-8), which spontaneously self-assemble to nanovehicles. It was found that hydrophobic substituents endow a biopolymer with unexpected affinity toward a hydrophilic payload. CMC-8 nanovehicles effectively encapsulated ionic zinc (ZnSO) and delivered it upon foliar application to pepper () and tomato () plants. Zinc uptake and translocation in plants were monitored by SEM-EDS and fluorescence microscopic methods. monitoring of the carrier was done by labeling nanovehicles with fluorescent carbon dots. Three-dimensional (3-D) structural modeling and conformational dynamics explained the CMC-8 self-assembly mechanism and zinc coordination phenomenon upon introduction of hydrophobic substituents.