Nanotechnology-Based Sustainable Alternatives for the Management of Plant Diseases (Micro & Nano Technologies) - Softcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

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.

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Nanotechnology-based Sustainable Alternatives for the Management of Plant Diseases addresses the power of sustainable nanomaterials for plant and food protection. Plant protection and food safety are vital in order to reduce the economic losses caused by microorganism spoilage.

The control of plant pathogens in plants and in food has been conventionally made by adding chemical preservatives and by thermal processing. There is an increasing demand being made by farmers and consumers for strategies starting with the farmer’s field and ending with the supermarket shelf. Sustainable nanotechnology can be a powerful tool for providing solutions to the complex set of scientific and technological challenges necessary to improve the safety of the entire agri-food chain. Advances in materials science have led to the rapid development of nanotechnology that has great potential for improving food safety, as a powerful tool for the delivery and controlled release of natural antimicrobials, leading to an increase in plant protection and food product shelf-life.

This book highlights dangers arising from bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, seeds, plants, fruits, and food production, and summarizes new and sustainable strategies in the agricultural sector to meet these challenges. This has a particular focus on plant pathogen control and in the food packaging sector in agri-food applications.