Humic Acid-Coated Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Nanoparticles Confer Resistance to Acremonium Wilt Disease and Improve Physiological and Morphological Attributes of Grain Sorghum
Sherif Mohamed El-Ganainy,
Amal M. El-Bakery,
Heba M. Hafez,
Ahmed Mahmoud Ismail,
Ali Zein El-Abdeen,
Abed Abd Elgalel Ata,
Omar A. Y. Abd Elraheem,
Yousef M. Y. El Kady,
Ahlam F. Hamouda,
Hossam S. El-Beltagi,
Wael F. Shehata,
Tarek A. Shalaby,
Ahmed Osman Abbas,
Mustafa Ibrahim Almaghsla,
Muhammad N. Sattar,
Zafar Iqbal
Affiliations
Sherif Mohamed El-Ganainy
Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Amal M. El-Bakery
Maize and Sugar Crops Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Heba M. Hafez
Department, of Sorghum Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Ahmed Mahmoud Ismail
Vegetable Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Ali Zein El-Abdeen
Maize and Sugar Crops Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Abed Abd Elgalel Ata
Maize and Sugar Crops Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Omar A. Y. Abd Elraheem
Department, of Sorghum Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Yousef M. Y. El Kady
Department, of Sorghum Research, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt
Ahlam F. Hamouda
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13736, Egypt
Hossam S. El-Beltagi
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agricultural and Food Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Wael F. Shehata
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agricultural and Food Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Tarek A. Shalaby
Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Osman Abbas
Department of Animal and Fish Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Mustafa Ibrahim Almaghsla
Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad N. Sattar
Central laboratories, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Zafar Iqbal
Central laboratories, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Acremonium wilt disease affects grain quality and reduces sorghum yield around the globe. The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of humic acid (HA)-coated Fe3O4 (Fe3O4/HA) nanoparticles (NPs) in controlling acremonium wilt disease and improving sorghum growth and yields. During the season 2019, twenty-one sorghum genotypes were screened to assess their response to Acremonium striticum via artificial infection under field conditions and each genotype was assigned to one of six groups, ranging from highly susceptible to highly resistant. Subsequently, over the two successive seasons 2020 and 2021, three different concentrations of 10, 40 and 80 mg L−1 of Fe3O4/HA NPs were tested against A. striticum. The concentrations of 40 and 80 mg L−1 were found to be highly effective in controlling acremonium wilt disease on different sorghum genotypes: LG1 (highly susceptible), Giza-3 (susceptible), and Local 119 (resistant) genotypes. After harvest, the physiological (growth and yield) and biochemical (peroxidase, catalase, and gibberellic acid) attributes of sorghum plants were determined, and the results demonstrated that concentrations of 40 and 80 mg L−1 increased peroxidase and catalase activities in healthy (uninoculated) sorghum genotypes compared to inoculated sorghum genotypes. Additionally, the toxicity of Fe3O4/HA NPs on male albino rats was investigated via hematological (CBC), chemical (ALT and AST) and histopathological analyses. The concentration 80 mg L−1 of Fe3O4/HA NPs caused a marked increase in ALT and creatinine level after 51 days of feeding. Severe pathological alterations were also observed in liver and kidney tissues of rats administered with grain sorghums treated with 80 mg L−1. In comparison with the untreated control plants, a concentration of 40 mg L−1 significantly increased the growth, yield and gibberellic acid levels (p ≤ 0.05) and was found to be safe in male albino rats. Conclusively, a concentration of 40 mg L−1 of Fe3O4/HA NPs showed promising results in curtailing A. striticum infections in sorghum, indicating its great potential to substitute harmful fertilizers and fungicides as a smart agriculture strategy.
