While humans have been in a billion-year battle with resilient fungi since the dawn of farming, the authors explain that our modern weapons—fungicides—have become a double-edged sword. While these chemicals have been the cornerstone of boosting agricultural productivity, the researchers point out that their over-usage has led to serious health and environmental consequences.
As our global population grows and climate change makes crops more vulnerable, the study emphasizes the urgent need for a new generation of “smart” and eco-friendly formulations to combat increasing fungal resistance.
In this review, the authors provide a deep dive into the state of the art in fungicide technology, specifically focusing on the treatments used against the world’s ten most significant fungal pathogens (such as Magnaporthe oryzae and Botrytis cinerea).
They highlight that while the current research trend is shifting toward eco-friendly options, we are still facing a major “knowledge gap.” Specifically, the researchers note that there are very few studies tracking the ultimate fate of nano-shells in the soil or how these materials redistribute within plants after they are absorbed.
According to the study, without a holistic understanding of how these new technologies impact human and environmental exposure, we cannot fully ensure that our transition to sustainable agriculture is truly safe.
Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.07.035
Reference:
Tleuova, A. B., Wielogorska, E., Talluri, V. S. S. L. P., Štěpánek, F., Elliott, C. T., & Grigoriev, D. O. (2020). Recent advances and remaining barriers to producing novel formulations of fungicides for safe and sustainable agriculture. Journal of Controlled Release, 326, 468–481.