Inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum growth in banana by silver nanoparticles: in vitro and in vivo assays

Fusarium wilt is a devastating disease that affects banana crops worldwide. In Ecuador, bananas are one of the most important commodities and staple food. Nanoparticles are emerging as innovative solutions to control fungal diseases in plant protection. In this study, in vitro and in vivo assays were carried out to validate Fusarium oxysporum growth and disease inhibition. 96-well plates experiments were used to calculate the IC50 of three different silver nanoparticle formulations (Argovit-1220, Argovit-1221, and Argovit-C) against four Ecuadorian Fusarium strains (EC15-E-GM1, EC19-LR-GM3, EC35-G-GM6, EC40-M-GM2). More than 95% inhibition rate was obtained at 25 mg L-1 concentration. Fusarium wilt in vivo assay was carried out with Gros Michel plants, where better control was obtained by applying silver nanoparticles to the roots, reducing disease development by an average of 68%. This study shows that silver nanoparticles have a high antifungal potential for controlling the Fusarium wilt of bananas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to test the potential of silver nanoparticles against Fusarium oxysporum in planta under greenhouse conditions.