Fusarium Head Blight management with nanotechnology: Advances and future prospects

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease affecting wheat, barley, and other cereals, leading to significant yield losses and grain contamination with mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON). This contamination poses severe risks to food safety, livestock health, and global trade. Conventional management strategies, such as fungicide applications, crop rotation, and the use of resistant cultivars, have shown limited effectiveness due to environmental constraints, pathogen adaptation, and regulatory restrictions. Nanotechnology has emerged as a groundbreaking approach for FHB management, offering innovative solutions through antimicrobial nanoparticles (NPs), nano-enabled fungicide delivery systems, host resistance induction, and mycotoxin detoxification. Metal-based NPs such as silver (AgNPs), copper (CuNPs), and zinc oxide (ZnO NPs) exhibit potent antifungal activity by disrupting fungal cell membranes, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), and interfering with critical metabolic pathways. Advanced nanocarrier-based delivery systems (including liposomes, polymeric NPs, nanoemulsions, and nanogels) enhance fungicide stability, bioavailability, and controlled release, thereby improving disease control efficacy, while minimizing off-target effects. In recent years, the development of smart and responsive nanocarriers, spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS), enzyme-functionalized NPs, and CRISPR/Cas systems have further expanded the scope of nano-enabled strategies, offering promising tools for precision and sustainable FHB control. Additionally, silica (SiO₂) and chitosan-based nanomaterials function as elicitors of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), activating plant immune responses and reinforcing structural defenses against FHB infection. To mitigate mycotoxin contamination, graphene oxide (GO) and clay-based NPs effectively adsorb and neutralize DON, reducing its bioavailability and toxicity. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in balancing NP efficacy with environmental safety, necessitating biodegradable designs and field-optimized formulations. Field trials, multi-omics approaches, and interdisciplinary research are increasingly important to translate laboratory findings into practical agricultural solutions. Therefore, future research should prioritize the development of biodegradable, eco-compatible NPs, optimize their application under field conditions, and conduct comprehensive environmental risk assessments. The integration of nanotechnology into FHB management represents a transformative step toward sustainable and efficient disease control strategies, reducing reliance on chemical fungicides and enhancing global food security.