Tracking delivery of metribuzin nanoformulations using fluorescent markers

• Grant number: 22/12200-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 27, 2022
• End date: April 26, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Valdemar Luiz Tornisielo
• Grantee: Brian Cintra Cardoso
• Supervisor: Nubia Zuverza Mena
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/01554-9 - Impacts of metribuzin nanoformulation application on soil non-target organisms, BP.IC

Abstract

Considering the large-scale use of herbicides and the focus on reducing the use of these chemicals has been a challenge for agriculture. The advance in the development of nanoformulations for the delivery of pesticides has grown in agriculture. These nanoformulations have demonstrated potential for agricultural use by promoting the controlled release and protection of active ingredients, offering greater control efficiency, and safety to the environment and non-targeted organisms. Among the information needed in the production of nanoformulated pesticides are the stability and efficiency characteristics of the system. This information is being reported in several studies. However, little is known about the environmental behavior of these new formulations and the delivery mechanisms in target organisms. In this sense, the objective of this project is to track two nanoformulations of the herbicide metribuzin, using fluorescent markers, to evaluate the release in target organisms. Parameters such as chlorophyll content and photosynthesis efficiency will be observed, considering metribuzin as a photosystem II inhibitor. Furthermore, the morphoanatomical data of the plant are important for understanding the delivery of the active ingredient to the site of action, therefore, images of the ultrastrucrure will be aquired by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The data obtained through this project can help to describe the mechanisms related to the effectiveness of weed control. Furthermore, the understanding of the plant-nanoherbicide interaction can contribute to the application strategies and positioning of these formulations in the field. (AU)