Metribuzin nanoformulations uptake and distribution in target plants in different soil system

• Grant number: 22/12221-0
• 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: Camila de Werk Pinácio
• 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: 21/03455-5 - Straw-herbicide interaction in no-tillage system: effects of pre-emergent herbicides on the control of slender amaranth, BP.IC

Abstract

Herbicides represent the most used class of pesticides in the world. Reducing the amount of herbicide application without reducing its effectiveness is a significant challenge in agriculture. As it is necessary to increase food production in a sustainable way, new technologies that allow the rational use of pesticides is necessary. Developing nanotechnology strategies for the formulation of herbicides has shown promise in increasing the effectiveness of the active ingredient (a.i.), even at lower doses than recommended. This is due to the controlled, localized release and protection from environmental degradation by the protection a nanostructure can provide. Pre-emergent herbicides such as metribuzin are applied directly to the soil, so their interaction with the soil will depend on the characteristics of the soil and the environment. By developing a nanoformulation, we can modify the herbicide interactions with the soil and with the target organism. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how nanoformulations influence the behavior of a.i. in its biological target and in different soils. For this, absorption and translocation studies of different formulations of metribuzin in target weeds will be carried out. The parameters (absorption, translocation, and availability) related to the herbicide will be evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). With this, it is expected to understand the effect of nanoformulations on plant-herbicide interactions, in addition to evaluating the availability of a.i. in different types of soil; consequently leading to a better understanding of the nanoherbicides' behavior in the environment. By expanding our knowledge on how formulations affect this behavior, it is possible to improve and/or customize herbicide nanoformulations to increase their activity on weeds, reducing the recommended application dose. As a result, this will reduce the environmental risk in the use of herbicides and will promote the production of sustainable systems. (AU)