ABSTRACT
Bacterial spot of tomato (BST), predominantly caused by Xanthomonas perforans (Xp) in Florida, is one of the most devastating diseases in hot, humid environments. Bacterial resistance to copper-based bactericides and antibiotics makes disease management extremely challenging. This necessitates alternative solutions to manage the disease. In this study, we used two novel hybrid copper and magnesium nanomaterials noted as magnesium double-coated (Mg-Db) and magnesium-copper (Mg-Cu), to manage BST. In in vitro experiments, no viable cells were recovered following 4 h exposure to 500 µg/ml of both Mg-Db and Mg-Cu, while 100 and 200 µg/ml required 24 h of exposure for complete inhibition. In viability assay using live/dead cell straining method and epifluorescence microscopy, copper tolerant Xp cells were killed within 4 h by both Mg-Cu and Mg-Db nanomaterials at 500 µg/ml, but not by copper hydroxide (Kocide 3000). In the greenhouse, Mg-Db and Mg-Cu at 100-500 µg/ml significantly reduced BST severity compared to micron-sized commercial Cu bactericide Kocide 3000 and the growers' standard (copper hydroxide + mancozeb) (P < 0.05). In field studies, Mg-Db and Mg-Cu nanomaterials significantly reduced disease severity in two out for field trials. Mg-Db at 500 µg/ml reduced BST severity by 34% compared to the non-treated control without affecting yield in Fall, 2020. The use of hybrid nanomaterials at the highest concentrations (500 µg/ml) used in the field experiments can reduce copper use by 90% compared to the growers' standard. In addition, there was no phytotoxicity observed with the use of hybrid nanomaterials in the field. These results suggest the potential of novel magnesium-copper based hybrid nanomaterials to manage copper-tolerant bacterial pathogens.
