Each season, tomato growers fight against various microorganisms that threaten their plots, including one capable of destroying them in their entirety.
It is the Clavibacter michiganensis, pathogen that causes bacterial cancer in tomato. This bacterium weakens the stem of the plant and produces brown spots with a white halo on the fruits, among other effects.
To protect the crops, Mexican researchers created nanoparticles from seaweed to transport copper to the vascular system of the plants, which helps strengthen their defense mechanisms.
The application of nanoparticles has allowed to reduce more than 30 percent the incidence of bacterial cancer in crops, mitigating the effects of the disease.
This technological development is the result of two years of work by the Mexican company Algas Pacific, in conjunction with the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the UNAM (CNyN-UNAM).
The nanoparticles loaded with copper are applied through the irrigation system and via foliar.
This method allows the efficient use of copper, since a few grams are enough to protect a planting area that would normally require several kilograms of the mineral.
In addition to inhibiting the bacteria that causes cancer in tomatoes, there is evidence that copper nanoparticles can support the control of other pathogens in plants, such as Xanthomonas campestris, Alternaria sp or Fusarium sp.
It has also been possible to verify that the seedlings treated with nanoparticles showed an increase of 30.77 percent in the amount of fruit.
Nanoparticles are a totally organic product due to their origin, so they can be used in tomatoes or in any other crop without fear of health risks.
Currently the company Algas Pacific works with the Center for Biological Research of the Northwest (Cibnor) in the development of biotechnological products to increase the production of micro algae, used to feed the larvae of tilapia in its early stages of life. ( Agency ID </ strong>)
