IIT Kanpur develops nanotech to protect rice crop
A team of IIT Kanpur researchers has developed a novel nanoparticle-based BioDCM that protects agricultural crops, especially rice crops, from fungal and bacterial infections. The technology is a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in agricultural fields, especially rice crops.
Virendra Singh Rawat
A team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur researchers has developed a novel nanoparticle-based Bio-Degradable-Carbonoid-Metabolite (BioDCM) that protects agricultural crops, especially rice crops, from fungal and bacterial infections.
The technology is a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in agricultural fields, especially rice crops.
BioDCM is a bio-degradable nanoparticle system with a metabolite — the end-product of metabolism or the process of conversion of food — extracted from the naturally-occurring common soil fungi, viz. Trichoderma asperellum strain TALK1.
The researchers were led by Santosh K Misra and Piyush Kumar from the Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering, IIT Kanpur. The research was conducted in collaboration with C Kannan and Divya Mishra from ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, and R Balamurugan and Mou Mandal from the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad.
“Our institute has undertaken many innovative high-tech projects to help farmers. Our efforts have been relentless to enrich the whole ecosystem of farming. The invention of novel nanoparticles would lessen the worries of crop infection and boost crop yield,” IIT Kanpur director Abhay Karandikar said.
This extracted metabolite can be used as an effective organic antimicrobial agent and carbonaceous degradable encompassing to provide protection against crop diseases and enrichment of soil respectively.
The Institute said natural products are in great demand for plant protection in organic agriculture and export-oriented products. The bio-formulation is of non-toxic nature, eco-friendly, easily degradable and is established to be a potent natural inhibitor in suppressing the growth and development of soil-based plant pathogens, including fungi and bacteria.
It will help crops defend themselves by eliciting defence and meeting the level of competition towards better productivity. The invention will also aid in overcoming shortcomings such as less control on bioavailability, pre-mature degradation and absorption by the crops, thus making it a feasible option for farmers.
