Nanoparticle development for site-specific translocation: from design to physiological behavior in plants

• Grant number: 24/00869-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Valdemar Luiz Tornisielo
• Grantee: Gustavo Vinícios Munhoz Garcia
• Supervisor: Astrid Avellan
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Géosciences Et Environnement Toulouse, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/00718-8 - Glyphosate carrier nanosystems: from development to application in weed management, BP.DR

Abstract

Weeds represent big economic and ecological challenges to farming systems worldwide, necessitating the extensive use of herbicides, particularly ACCase inhibitors, to control them. However, the environmental consequences of excessive pesticide use, such as water and soil contamination, demand novel approaches to reduce environmental effects while maintaining crop output. Nanotechnology appears promising, providing continuous release and improved selectivity, potentially allowing for lower herbicide doses, reducing off-target effects. This work aims to evaluate the physiological characteristics of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl encapsulated in polymeric biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) coated with sucrose. The study takes a multifaceted approach using multiple techniques and hypothesizes that NP functionalization with sucrose will alter nanoherbicide behavior in plants, improve phloem translocation, and increase herbicide toxicity. This work will leverage multidisciplinary and multi-technique methodology including fluorescent labeling and confocal microscopy, 2D and 3D enhanced dark field microscopy coupled with hyperspectral imaging, X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure to probe for the nanoformulation transformation. The work attempts to unravel the intricate interaction between polymeric NPs and plants, highlighting the role of carbohydrate fluxes in in planta nanoparticle implication, illumining the potential of sucrose-coated NPs to revolutionize nanoherbicide design. The involvement of Brazilian and French scientists with expertise in NP-plant interactions broadens the initiative's scope. Finally, this research will contribute to the development of eco-friendly nanoherbicides, that meet the global need for sustainable agriculture and reduce the chemical impact on ecosystems.