Nano-enabled green strategy: Matrine-loaded LDHs nanohybrids for integrated pest-disease management and activate defence pathways in tomato

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (B. tabaci) stands as the exclusive identified vector for tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), the causative agent of tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD). Current disease management strategies face significant challenges due to the absence of effective antiviral chemicals, necessitating heavy reliance on whitefly population control. However, the occurrence of insecticide resistance and the invasiveness of B. tabaci have severely compromised conventional control methods, highlighting an urgent demand for innovative disease management approaches. 

This study presents a kind of LDH superpolymer as a nano-insecticide to control B. tabaci. It was generated through self-assembly of LDH SLNSs gel with supplement of matrine (MT) to form nanohybrids. Researchers found that the 150 nm LDH nanosheets displayed a high efficiency to permeate tomato leaf stomata, enabling accumulation in intercellular cavities and mesophyll cell cytoplasm. 

The loading efficiency of MT-LDH nanohybrids achieved to 16 %. Compared to conventional MT formulations, foliar application of 500 mg/L MT-LDH increased 50.39–75.17 % phyllospheric MT retention in tomato leaves. The nanomaterial exhibited efficient showing 2.83-fold bioactivity against B. tabaci adults than that of aqueous MT solutions. 

Moreover, researchers revealed that the biocontrol activity of the MT-LDH nanohybrids conferred dual protective benefits: (1) activation of plant defenses to inhibit mitigation of TYLCV; and (2) enhanced systemic acquired resistance against viral infection. 

These findings establish a novel antiviral paradigm that both killed vector insect and activate host defence. The MT-LDH nanohybrids offered a potential solution to control TYLCV epidemics with reduced pesticide reliance.

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