Biological reduction agents are being explored worldwide to minimize the effects of toxic chemicals used in nanoparticle fabrication. The present study states a green approach for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles employing aqueous flower extract of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. Flower extract was used as the biological reduction agent for synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc acetate dihydrate. Synthesis conditions were optimized for maximal and narrow size range synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The resultant nanopowder was characterized using various analytical techniques, such as UV–Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The nanopowder was stored in dried form and was found to be stable after 4months. The size range of nanoparticles obtained upon synthesis at optimum conditions was 12–32nm as reported by TEM. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles indicating particle size within the range provided by electron microscopy data. Nanoparticles were tested for their antifungal potential and were found to be active against all five tested phytopathogens with lowest MIC value recorded as 16μg/mL. Hence, an easy and effective green approach for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles, with efficient antifungal potential is reported in this study

Infectious diseases have been on rise in the recent past. Early diagnosis plays a role as important as proper treatment and prophylaxis. The current practices of detection are time consuming which may result in unnecessary delays in treatment. Advances in nanodiagnostic approaches have been in focus lately. The rising interest and better understanding of nanoparticles have led to opening up of new frontiers in the concerned area. Optical properties of nanoparticles are being exploited to design detection systems that can provide fast, one-step and reliable results. Based on conserved DNA sequences unique to the target organism, the results offer accuracy comparable to conventional tests. Further, visual or spectrophotometric analysis omits the need of costly apparatus for result interpretation. The present review aims at putting together the information on nanoparticles based DNA conjugate systems for detection of pathogenic microorganisms.

This study reports synthesis and characterisation of silver nanoparticles and their effect on antifungal efficacy of common agricultural fungicides. Silver nanoparticles were synthesised using biological and chemical reduction methods employing Elettaria cardamomum leaf extract and sodium citrate, respectively. Nanoparticles were then characterised using UV–Visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). While XRD assigned particles size of 31.86 nm for green and 41.91 nm for chemical silver nanoparticles with the help of the Debye–Scherrer formula, DLS specified monodisperse nature of both suspensions. Nanoparticles were tested individually and in combination with fungicides (carbendazim, mancozeb, and thiram) against fungal phytopathogens. Silver nanoparticles exhibited good antifungal activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was observed in the range of 8–64 µg/ml. Also, they positively influenced the efficacy of fungicides. The mean MIC value (mean ± SD) for combination of all three fungicides with green AgNPs was 1.37 ± 0.6 µg/ml and for chemical AgNPs was 1.73 ± 1.0 µg/ml. Hence, it could be concluded that green AgNPs performed better than chemical AgNPs. Synergy was observed between green AgNPs and fungicides against Fusarium oxysporum . In conclusion, this study reports synthesis of monodisperse silver nanoparticles which serve as efficient antifungal agents and also enhance the fungicidal action of reported agricultural fungicides in combination studies.