Conventional methods of controlling insect pests and phytopathogenic microbes not only contaminate the environment but also affects the economy of the agricultural sector as most of the agrochemicals (insecticide, fungicide etc.) applied are lost in the environment. Moreover, extensive use of agrochemicals leads to contamination of food crops with toxic residue. So there is an urgent need for exploring alternative strategy to address this problem. Development of nanomaterial based slow release agrochemicals can drastically reduce the volume of agrochemicals required for controlling insects and phytopathogens. Dr. Debnath is currently involved in development of silica coated porous zinc oxide nano composite for delivery of fungicides. This nanocarrier has a unique advantage. Nanosilica has entomotoxic property and nano zinc oxide has antimicrobial property. So not only the cargo but also the carrier will provide plant protection.
Publications:
1. Das, S., Yadav, A. Debnath, N. (2019) Entomotoxic efficacy of aluminium oxide, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles against Sitophilus oryzae (L.): A comparative analysis. Journal of Stored Product Research. 83: 92-96.
2. Das, S., Debnath, N., Pradhan, S., Goswami, A. (2017) Enhancement of photon absorption in the light harvesting complex of isolated chloroplast in presence of plasmonic gold nanosol - A nanobionic approach towards photosynthesis and plant primary growth augmentation. Gold Bulletin.
3. Das, S., Debnath, N., Cui, Y., Unrine, J., Palli, S.R. (2015) Chitosan, carbon quantum dot, and silica nanoparticle mediated dsRNA delivery for gene silencing in Aedes aegypti: a comparative analysis. ACS Applied Materials & interfaces. 7(35):19530-35.
4. Mitra, S., Patra, P., Pradhan, S., Debnath, N., Dey, K. K., Sarkar, S., Chattopadhyay, D., Goswami, A. (2015) Microwave synthesis of ZnO@mSiO2 for detailed antifungal mode of action study: Understanding the insights into oxidative stress. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 444: 97–108.
5. Das, S., Sen, B., Debnath, N. (2015) Recent trends in nanomaterials application in environmental monitoring and remediation. Environmental Science & Pollution Research. 22(23):18333-44.
6. Patra, P., Mitra, S., Debnath, N., Goswami, A. (2012) Biochemical-, biophysical-, and microarray-based antifungal evaluation of the buffer-mediated synthesized nano zinc oxide: An in vivo and in vitro toxicity study. Langmuir, 28: 16966-16978.
7. Debnath, N., Mitra, S., Das, S., Goswami, A. (2012) Synthesis of surface functionalized silica nanoparticles and their use as entomotoxic nanocides. Powder Technology, 221: 252-256.
8. Debnath, N., Das, S., Patra, P., Mitra, S., Goswami A. (2012) Toxicological evaluation of entomotoxic silica nanoparticle. Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, 94(5): 944-951.
9. Mitra, S., Bano, S., Patra, P., Chandra, S., Debnath, N., Das, S., Banerjee, R., Kundu, S.C., Pramanik, P., Goswami, A. (2012) Porous ZnO nanorod for targeted delivery of doxorubicin: In vitro and in vivo response for therapeutic applications. Journal of Material Chemistry, 22:24145-24154.
10. Debnath, N., Das, S., Seth, D., Chandra, R., Bhattacharya S. C., Goswami, A. (2011) Entomotoxic effect of silica nanoparticles against Sitophilus oryzae (L.). Journal of Pest Science, 84 (1): 99-105.