Nanotechnology-Based Sustainable Alternatives for the Management of Plant Diseases

Giorgio Mariano Balestra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, at University of Tuscia, Italy. His research interests are plant pathology and on phytobacteriology for: biological control in open field, greenhouse, nursery of phytopathogenic bacteria, by using natural substances and biocontrol agents (BCA’s).Other research alorization of agro-food wastes to develop organic plant protection strategies, reduction of agrochemicals to control of harmful pathogenic microorganisms on tropical and subtropical crops, sustainable plant protection strategies in developing countries, biology and epidemiology of phytopathogenic bacteria, abiotic and biotic factors influencing populations of phytopathogenic bacteria, and genetic-molecular characterization of phytopathogenic bacteria. Elena Fortunati, graduated in 2007 in Materials Engineering and she was awarded a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology of Materials at the University of Perugia, in 2010. Since January 2011 she has been a researcher (post-doctoral) at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department/Faculty of Engineering /Materials Science and Technology (STM) Group. She has attended and spoken at over 30 International Conferences and is author of more than 50 articles in refereed journals and book chapters, most of them concerning waste re-valorization and use, extraction of cellulose nanocrystals and their use in nanocomposites for industrial applications.

• 1. IntroductionGiorgio Mariano Balestra and Elena Fortunati2. Natural or green synthesis nanomaterials and impact on plant pathogensManoj Choudhary, Jeffrey B. Jones, and Mathews L. Paret3. Controlled biocide release from smart delivery systems: materials engineering to tune release rate, biointeractions, and responsivenessFrancesca Biondo, Francesca Baldassarre, Viviana Vergaro, and Giuseppe Ciccarella4. Nanoscale characterization methods in plant disease management Francesco Marinello, Francesca Anna Scaramuzzo, Simone Dinarelli, Daniele Passeri, and Marco Rossi5. Organic antimicrobial nanomaterials and reducing copper use in sustainable plant protectionGiorgio Mariano Balestra, Veronica di Lorenzo, and Elena Fortunati6. Inorganic nanomaterials usable in plant protection strategiesSara Francesconi, Daniele Schiavi, Veronica di Lorenzo, and Giorgio Mariano Balestra7. Utility of nanoparticles in management of plant virusesRenato Carvalho, Jeffrey B. Jones, and Mathews L. Paret8. Potential applications of nanotechnology in seed technology for improved plant healthYing-Yu Liao, Alejandra I. Huerta, Jeffrey B. Jones, and Mathews L. Paret9. Nanotechnology-based green and efficient alternatives for the management of plant diseasesAngela Tartaglia, Marcello Locatelli, Felisa Cilurzo, Christian Celia, Luisa Di Marzio, Francesca Froiio, Donatella Paolino, D’Ambrosio Francesca, and Ramundo Piera10. Nanotechnology-enabled phytodiagnostics on the brink of farm usageJyutika Rajwade and Kishore Paknikar11. Carbon nanostructure-based sensor: a promising tools for monitoring cropsShagufta Afreen, Neetu Talreja, Mohammad Ashfaq, and Divya Chauhan12. Plant and human health: the new era of biobased nanoscale systemsElisa Panzarini, Elisabetta Carata, Stefania Mariano, Bernardetta Anna Tenuzzo, Stefano Tacconi, Marco Fidaleo, and Luciana Dini13. Metal-organic framework as an emerging material: a novel plant growth stimulantDivya Chauhan, Rishabh Anand Omar, R.V. Mangalaraja, Mohammad Ashfaq, and Neetu Talreja14. Nano metal-carbonebased materials: emerging platform for the growth and protection of cropsRishabh Anand Omar, Neetu Talreja, Divya Chauhan, R.V. Mangalaraja, and Mohammad Ashfaq15. Biopolymers and nanomaterials in food packaging and applicationsVaishally Dogra, Deepak Verma, and Elena Fortunati