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Background: Onions, a vital agricultural crop rich in carbohydrates and essential minerals, face severe threats from Fusarium oxysporum, the causative agent of basal rot disease. This study assessed the effectiveness of extracellular, green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), produced by Aspergillus terreus AUMC 15760, in managing basal rot disease caused by F. oxysporum AUMC 15798.
Results: AgNPs ranging from 12.1 to 28.7 nm were incorporated into PDA media at concentrations of 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm, achieving fungal growth inhibition rates of 24.88%, 40.77%, 54.44%, and 69.33%, respectively. A greenhouse experiment was carried out using onion seedlings, with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) to compare eight different treatments: 100 ppm AgNPs (spray), 50 ppm AgNPs (spray), 100 ppm AgNPs (soil application), 50 ppm AgNPs (soil application), Dovex spray (50%), Dovex soil application (50%), a negative control, and a positive control. Greenhouse results showed a significant reduction in disease severity, with Dovex lowering it to 20%. AgNPs at 50 ppm reduced severity to 57.77% (soil) and 35.55% (spray), while 100 ppm further decreased it to 31.1% (soil) and 22.2% (spray). The application of 100 ppm AgNPs improved plant growth parameters. It also enhanced chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid levels. The greatest reductions in phenolic (0.34 mg/g) and anthocyanin contents (0.48 mg/g), as well as peroxidase (0.44 µmol/min) and catalase activities (0.19 µmol/min), were recorded in plants treated with 100 ppm AgNPs (spray).
Conclusions: AgNPs effectively control basal rot disease, boost plant growth, and regulate antioxidant activity.
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