title: Antifungal activity of fabricated mesoporous alumina nanoparticles against root rot disease of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present work involved the synthesis and characterisation of mesoporous alumina sphere (MAS) nanoparticles to evaluate their biological activity against tomato root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporium, as compared with the recommended fungicide, tolclofos-methyl, under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. The effects of MAS nanoparticles on the growth of tomato plants were also evaluated and compared with those of tolclofos-methyl.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The physical characteristics and structural features of MAS nanoparticles, such as their large surface-area-to-volume ratio, active surface sites and open channel pores, caused high antifungal efficacy against F. oxysporium. MAS nanoparticles presented an antifungal potential similar to that of tolclofos-methyl and much greater than that of the control under both laboratory and greenhouse conditions. The highest growth parameters were recorded in tomato plants treated with MAS nanoparticles, followed by those treated with tolclofos-methyl.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated the possible use of cylindrically cubic MAS nanoparticles as an effective alternative for the control of Fusarium root rot in tomato. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors: National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, Japan.|Petrochemical Department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute (EPRI), 1 Ahmed El-Zomor Street El- Zohour Region, Nasr City, Cairo, 11727, Egypt.
authors: Mohamed
authors: M
authors: Shenashen
authors: National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, Japan.|Pesticides Chemistry and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafr-El-Shiekh University, Egypt.
authors: Aly
authors: A
authors: Derbalah
authors: Pesticides Chemistry and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafr-El-Shiekh University, Egypt.
authors: Amany
authors: A
authors: Hamza
authors: Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Mohamed
authors: National Institute for Materials Science, Sengen, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, Japan.|Graduate School for Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Sherif
authors: S
authors: El Safty
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects*; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology*; D053758:Nanoparticles; D009946:Organothiophosphorus Compounds; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D009946:Organothiophosphorus Compounds; C426783:tolclofos-methyl; D000537:Aluminum Oxide
keywords: alumina; control; nanoparticles; root rot; tomato