**2.5 Nanotechnology for controlling plant virus**

Plant virus particularly spherical virus is considered to be the naturally occurring nanomaterials. The smallest plant viruses known till date are satellite tobacco necrosis virus measuring only 18 nm in diameter [49]. Plant viruses are made up of single or double stranded RNA/DNA as genome which is encapsulated by a protein coat. Their ability to infect, deliver nucleic acid genome to a specific site in host cell, replicate, package nucleic acid and come out of host cell precisely in an orderly manner have necessitated them to be used in nanotechnology. A complete review on use of plant viruses as bio templates for nanomaterials and their uses has been done recently by Young et al. [50].

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*Applications of Nanotechnology in Agriculture DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88390*

**3. Nanotechnology in food packaging**

*SEM, nanoflex of large surface areas of MgONPs [1].*

reduce the risk and human safety.

**4. Conclusions**

**Figure 2.**

**Figure 3.**

*and (C) 100 ppm nickel nanoparticles [45].*

Food industries are leading in forming the food with good nutritive value. For example, high impermeable packaging nanomaterials are used for protection of food from UV radiations and providing more strength to maintain the food protected from environment, increasing their shelf lives. Nanosensors are used for the detection of chemicals, gases and pathogens in food. In modern terminology, a word is given to such type of packaging as smart packaging. Some studies suggested that people are not accepting the direct involvement of nanoparticles in food due to some risk factors. Therefore, it is needed to provide some safety measurements to

*Germination of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici conidia: (A) control; (B) 50 ppm nickel nanoparticles;* 

The occurrence and development of new pathogenic races is a continuing problem, and the use of chemicals to control pests is expensive and not always effective. In recent years, the use of nanomaterials has been considered as an alternative solution to control plant pathogens. Agricultural practices usually include the

#### **Figure 2.**

*Applications of Nanobiotechnology*

suggest that using Ni nanoparticle solution can significantly increase the surface

*Petri dishes showing inhibition of Fusarium wilt causing pathogens: first row, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici [(A) control; (B) 50 ppm nickel nanoparticles; (C) 100 ppm nickel nanoparticles]; second row, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae [(D) control; (E) 50 ppm nickel nanoparticles; (F) 100 ppm nickel* 

Nickel nanoparticles at the concentration of 100 ppm decreased the number of spore development by 81.40 and 74.60% in *F*. *oxysporum* f. sp. *lactucae* and *F*. *oxysporum* f. sp. *lycopersici*, respectively. The conidial germination was negatively

The inhibitory effect of Ni nanoparticles on spore germination could be due to their fungicidal effect. These results agreed with the results obtained from other workers on antifungal effects of different metal nanoparticles against some pathogenic fungi such as silver nanoparticles and zinc nanoparticles against copper nanoparticles [46]. Inhibitory effect of Ni nanoparticles could be due to producing of extracellular enzymes from fungi as survival agents caused by stress of toxic materials [47] or could be due to large surface areas (**Figure 3**) and small sizes to penetrate into the cell membrane of pathogen and work in the

Plant virus particularly spherical virus is considered to be the naturally occurring nanomaterials. The smallest plant viruses known till date are satellite tobacco necrosis virus measuring only 18 nm in diameter [49]. Plant viruses are made up of single or double stranded RNA/DNA as genome which is encapsulated by a protein coat. Their ability to infect, deliver nucleic acid genome to a specific site in host cell, replicate, package nucleic acid and come out of host cell precisely in an orderly manner have necessitated them to be used in nanotechnology. A complete review on use of plant viruses as bio templates for nanomaterials and their uses has been done

areas acting on the mycelia of *Fusarium* and mycelial growth.

affected by nickel nanoparticles (**Figure 2**).

**2.5 Nanotechnology for controlling plant virus**

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cytosols [48].

**Figure 1.**

*nanoparticles] [45].*

recently by Young et al. [50].

*Germination of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici conidia: (A) control; (B) 50 ppm nickel nanoparticles; and (C) 100 ppm nickel nanoparticles [45].*

**Figure 3.** *SEM, nanoflex of large surface areas of MgONPs [1].*
