Zigong Shao, Quan Cai, Hongmei Du, Haijia Hou, Jian Sun, Zhiye Bao
{"title":"Phytogenic nanoparticles derived from Ocimum sanctum for enhanced biocontrol in industrial crop systems","authors":"Zigong Shao, Quan Cai, Hongmei Du, Haijia Hou, Jian Sun, Zhiye Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121631","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Efforts to achieve sustainable agriculture have accelerated the search for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional agrochemicals. <em>Ocimum sanctum</em> (<em>holy basil, tulsi</em>), a traditional medicine endowed with diverse biologically active constituents, can be used to synthesize phytogenic nanoparticles (NPs) that may boost biocontrol in industrial crop systems. This review covers the botany and phytochemistry of <em>O. sanctum</em> pertaining to the biosynthesis of NPs, green synthesis procedures, characterization using various physicochemical techniques, and other elements that affect their properties. The effectiveness of <em>O. sanctum</em>-derived NPs against important bacterial as well as fungal phytopathogens is evaluated, particularly in terms of the action of membrane disruption, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other means. Its application as seed treatment, foliar spray, soil amendment, or in synergism with biopesticides and biofertilizers for major industrial crops is presented. Additionally, the toxicological and environmental aspects, such as phytotoxicity, soil microbiology, and human exposure and risk, are evaluated regarding the sustainable application of these nanomaterials. Finally, the challenges related to the unavailability of established criteria for standardization and scale-up of work, policy, and multidisciplinary approaches, with molecular technologies, are discussed along with the identified gaps in the literature for future research. Overall, the review highlights the potential of <em>O. sanctum</em>-derived phytogenic NPs (PNPs) as novel and eco-friendly biocontrol agents, recommending their use in modern agricultural practices to improve crop productivity and ensure ecological safety.","PeriodicalId":13581,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Crops and Products","volume":"152 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Industrial Crops and Products","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121631","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Efforts to achieve sustainable agriculture have accelerated the search for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional agrochemicals. Ocimum sanctum (holy basil, tulsi), a traditional medicine endowed with diverse biologically active constituents, can be used to synthesize phytogenic nanoparticles (NPs) that may boost biocontrol in industrial crop systems. This review covers the botany and phytochemistry of O. sanctum pertaining to the biosynthesis of NPs, green synthesis procedures, characterization using various physicochemical techniques, and other elements that affect their properties. The effectiveness of O. sanctum-derived NPs against important bacterial as well as fungal phytopathogens is evaluated, particularly in terms of the action of membrane disruption, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other means. Its application as seed treatment, foliar spray, soil amendment, or in synergism with biopesticides and biofertilizers for major industrial crops is presented. Additionally, the toxicological and environmental aspects, such as phytotoxicity, soil microbiology, and human exposure and risk, are evaluated regarding the sustainable application of these nanomaterials. Finally, the challenges related to the unavailability of established criteria for standardization and scale-up of work, policy, and multidisciplinary approaches, with molecular technologies, are discussed along with the identified gaps in the literature for future research. Overall, the review highlights the potential of O. sanctum-derived phytogenic NPs (PNPs) as novel and eco-friendly biocontrol agents, recommending their use in modern agricultural practices to improve crop productivity and ensure ecological safety.
期刊介绍:
Industrial Crops and Products is an International Journal publishing academic and industrial research on industrial (defined as non-food/non-feed) crops and products. Papers concern both crop-oriented and bio-based materials from crops-oriented research, and should be of interest to an international audience, hypothesis driven, and where comparisons are made statistics performed.