Pathogenic control compositions and methods

Abstract

Provided herein are compositions, systems, and methods for treating plant, aquatic, and/or livestock pathogens. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to activated compositions having metal nanoparticles and/or one or more organic acids for the treatment of harmful plant, aquaculture, or livestock pathogens, and also relates to methods of making and using the compositions.

1 . A method of mitigating or controlling a plant pathogen, the method comprising:
 applying a composition to a plant, a portion of a plant, a plant component, or to soil in which a plant is being cultivated,   wherein the composition comprises one or more metal nanoparticles and one or more organic acids, and   wherein the plant pathogen is a mold, mold spore, fungus, mutated fungus, fungi spore, bacterium, mutated bacterium, virus, mutated virus, nematode prion, or mutated prion.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plant component is a leaf, stem, trunk, stalk, flower, branch, fruit, root, shoot, bud, rhizome, or seed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plant pathogen is  Fusarium oxysporum f.  sp.  Cubense.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plant pathogen is  Mycosphaerella fijiensis.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying the composition comprises spraying, misting, crop-dusting, soaking, seed-coating, dripping, injecting, or watering the plant or soil in which the plant is being cultivated. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying the composition treats a plant disease. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plant disease is  Fusarium  wilt. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles comprise gold, silver, magnesium, zinc, calcium, manganese, copper, palladium, nickel, platinum, titanium, cerium, iron, thallium, molybdenum, or an alloy, oxide, hydroxide, sulfide, nitrate, phosphate, fluoride, chloride, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more organic acids comprise tannic acid, citric acid, tri-sodium citric acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, palmitic acid, alginic acid, polyglutamic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, naphthalenedisulfonic acid, polygalacturonic acid, malonic acid, sulfosalicylic acid, glycolic acid, 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoate, pamoate, salicylic acid, stearic acid, phthalic acid, mandelic acid, or lactic acid, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are present in an amount of less than 1% of the amount of the one or more organic acids. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are present in the composition in an amount ranging from about 1 ppm to about 20,000 ppm. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are monodispersed via sonication, emulsification, surfactant, or similar suspension techniques. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is activated by excitation with sonication, a laser, an electron gun, or thermal excitation. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition is formulated as a spray, a fluid matrix, a mist, a seed coating, or powder. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles have a diameter ranging from about 1 nm to about 200 nm. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are silver nanoparticles present in an amount of about 10 ppm to about 20,000 ppm, having a diameter ranging from about 1 nm to about 20 nm, and wherein the one or more organic acids comprise tannic acid present in an amount of about 5 mM to about 30 mM, and citric acid present in an amount of about 3.6% w/v, or tri-sodium citrate present in an amount of about 30 mM to about 300 mM. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition remains stable for a period of at least 2 years. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plant is a banana plant. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the banana plant has increased visual appearance following application of the composition. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the banana plant exhibits increased yield in fruit production following application of the composition.