IIT Kanpur develops novel nanoparticles for rice crop protection and soil enrichment

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has developed a novel nanoparticle-based biodegradable carbenoid metabolite (BioDCM) that can protect agricultural crops from fungal and bacterial infections.
The research was led by Santosh K Misra and Piyush Kumar from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with C Kannan and Divya Mishra from ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research; and R Balamurugan and Mou Mandal from the School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad.

This is the second such innovation in the agriculture sector since last year from IIT Kanpur. Last year, out of the 107 patents filed by the institute, one was the Bhu-Parikshak soil-testing device.

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said, “Our institute has undertaken many innovative high tech projects to help farmers. As the problems faced by the farmers are multi-fold, our efforts also have been relentless to enrich the whole ecosystem of farming, in general. In that regard, the invention of these Novel Nanoparticles would lessen the worries of crop infection and give boost to crop yield. I congratulate the whole team for their efforts in delivering another boon to the farmers.”

The technology is a protective biological alternative that can be used to enhance crop protection against various diseases in agricultural field, especially for rice crops, IIT Kanpur said.

“Natural products are in great demand for plant protection in organic agriculture and export-oriented products. The bio formulation is of non-toxic nature, eco- friendly, easily degradable and is established to be a potent natural inhibitor in suppressing the growth and development of soil-based plant pathogens, including fungi and bacteria,” IIT Kanpur said.

“It helps in the crops to defend themselves by eliciting defence and meeting the level of competition towards better productivity. The invention also helps in overcoming some shortcomings such as less control on bioavailability, premature degradation and absorption by the crops, thus, making it a feasible option for farmers,” it added.