Laboratory of Nanotechnology for crop protection

Head: Prof. Giorgio M. Balestra

Email: balestra@unitus.it

The laboratory is responsible for developing and studying the application of nanotechnologies in plant pathology, in order to identify innovative strategies for crop protection based on the use of nanomaterials and green nanoformulations. These are obtained by valorising waste from different agri-food chains, following a circular economy approach.

The main research topics concern:

• the obtaining of organic nano-materials (nano-cellulose, nano-lignin, nano-chitosan) starting from polymers present in waste from the agri-food chain;
• the synthesis of nanocarriers for the release and activation of organic molecules, evaluating the improvement of the efficacy, stability and release of the molecules at the parenchymatic and systemic level;
• the characterization of the biological properties of nanomaterials in terms of antimicrobial mechanisms (on different disease agents) and biostimulant activities, through in vitro microbiological tests and in planta tests (efficacy assays, biostimulation, priming of defenses),

The laboratory is equipped with growth chambers, biological hoods, freeze-dryers, sonicators, and other high-level technological tools for the synthesis and study of nanomaterials. The laboratory also collaborates with public and private entities and is open to educational activities (internship, bachelor thesis, master/PhD thesis) and for training in the industrial sector.