Scientists, including
an Indian-origin researcher, have found nano-sized degradable clay that could
serve as an alternative to chemicals and pesticides, effectively protecting
plants from specific disease-causing pathogens.
Researcher Neena Mitter from
University of Queensland in Australia said BioClay - an environmentally
sustainable alternative to chemicals and pesticides -could be a game-changer
for crop protection. The study was recently published in Nature Plants. “In
agriculture, the need for new control agents grows each year, driven by demand
for greater production, the effects of climate change, community and regulatory
demands and toxicity and pesticide resistance,” she said.
“Our disruptive research involves
a spray of nano-sized degradable clay used to release double-stranded RNA that
protects plants from specific disease-causing pathogens,” the researcher said.
Mitter further stated that the technology reduced the use of pesticides without
altering the genome of the plants.
Once BioClay is applied, the
plant ‘thinks' it is being attacked by a disease or pest insect and responds by
protecting itself from the targeted pest or disease, Mitter noted. A single
spray of BioClay protects the plant and then degrades, reducing the risk to the
environment or human health. -ANI
Source:DNA-12th January,2017
